Josiah Martin (23 April 1737 – 13 April 1786) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and colonial

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...

who served as the ninth and last

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

from 1771 to 1776, and in exile until 1783.

Early life and career

Martin was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland, the son of Samuel Martin, a planter well established on the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island of

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

. He was the third son of his father's second marriage. His elder half-brother Samuel Martin (1714–1788) was Secretary to the Treasury at

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Another brother, Sir Henry Martin (1735–1794), was naval commissioner at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and Comptroller of the Navy. Coat of Arms of Josiah Martin

Commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

ed an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the

in 1756, Martin had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by 1769. He participated in the battles of

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

, and

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Far Rockaway, New York, the daughter of Josiah Martin (1699–1778). On 29 December 1758, Martin was appointed to the provincial council of New York. Frequent business trips to London and Antigua resulted in the council temporarily replacing him in November 1762 with Lawrence Read, superseded in turn by Lawrence's father Joseph Read, to sit in Martin's place until he returned. Martin was given "a full year to determine whether he will return to the council from the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

Governor of North Carolina

On 1 March 1771, King George III appointed Martin provincial governor of North Carolina, succeeding James Hasell. Handicapped by illness, Martin remained at home in New York until 12 August 1771. Martin tried to give the North Carolinians useful and fair provincial government, but was hampered by instructions from Lord Hillsborough, and later by Lord Lewisham. In addition, former governor

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

left a political legacy of five major problems that plagued North Carolina. These problems were: * the fiscal and psychological effects of the

War of the Regulation The Regulator Movement in North Carolina, also known as the Regulator Insurrection, War of Regulation, and War of the Regulation, was an uprising in Provincial North Carolina from 1766 to 1771 in which citizens took up arms against colonial offi ...

; * the unsettled and expensive dispute between the Carolinas about their mutual boundary line; * the struggle over the court law bills and the judiciary, especially the attachment of the property of debtors who had never lived in the province; * the old quorum trouble in the House of Commons that caused conflict between the House and the governor; and * the conflict over the selection of the chief personnel of the provincial government by the crown rather than through the assembly. After Governor's Palace, Newbern was attacked by Whigs on 24 April 1775, he sent his family to his in-laws' home in New York and took refuge on board the

sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

HMS ''Cruizer'', transferring his headquarters to Fort Johnston on the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...

. When the Mecklenburg Resolves were published in May 1775, Martin transmitted a copy to England, which he described as "setting up a system of rule and regulation subversive of his majesty's government." Martin then requested a supply of arms and ammunition from

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Thomas Gage in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. In July 1775, a plot instigated by Martin to arm the slaves was discovered. In retaliation, John Ashe led a group of colonists against Fort Johnston on 20 July. Martin was forced to flee aboard the ''Cruizer'' while the colonists destroyed the fort. Martin remained off the coast of North Carolina, directing the rising of the Loyalists, whom he supplied with weapons brought from England.

Later life

After two attempts during the Carolina campaign to re-establish his administration were turned back, Martin, who was then in ill health due to fatigue, left for

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

and then England. He died in London on 13 April 1786 and was buried at St George's, Hanover Square, London.

Honors

Martin County, North Carolina Martin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 22,031. Its county seat is Williamston, North Carolina, Williamston. History Ma ...

, is named after him.

References

External links

Josiah Martin
at the North Carolina History Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Josiah 1737 births 1786 deaths 68th Regiment of Foot officers Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763) British Anglicans British Antigua and Barbuda people British Army personnel of the French and Indian War British officials in the American Revolution Burials at St George's, Hanover Square Cheshire Regiment officers Exiles Governors of the Province of North Carolina People from Dublin (city) People from Long Island People from New Bern, North Carolina