Martin Baum (15 June 1765 – 14 December 1831) was an American businessman and politician. The son of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrants Jacob Baum and Magdalena Elizabeth Kershner, Baum fought with General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

at the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

. After settling in Cincinnati, Baum became active in civic affairs, and was elected mayor in 1807 and 1812. Through his agents in

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and

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, Baum attracted a great number of German immigrants to work in his various enterprises —

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s, a sugar refinery, a foundry, and real estate. Baum founded the Western Museum, was active in the first

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in 1802, and was one of the main pillars of the First Presbyterian Church. He married Anna Somerville Wallace in 1804. He bought the property on Pike Street in 1812, to build his home. Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

designed Baum's home, named the "Belmont". Baum completed construction in about 1820; the building, once lived in by Nicholas Longworth (the first) and David Sinton, is now the Taft Museum. The building is the best example of the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

in Cincinnati. Baum was caught in the financial upheaval of 1819–20, and he was eventually forced to deed his home back to the Bank of the United States in 1825. Baum's leadership was instrumental, along with William Oliver, and Micajah T. Williams in developing the Maumee Valley and Port Lawrence, modern day, Toledo, Ohio. Baum died during an influenza epidemic. He was buried in the First Presbyterian Ground. On 6 June 1853 his body was moved to

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. At a size of 733 acres (2.97 km2), it is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverto ...

. One of the cars of the Mount Adams Incline was named in his honor.

References and notes

1765 births 1831 deaths Mayors of Cincinnati American people of the Northwest Indian War Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Politicians from Hagerstown, Maryland American people of German descent Deaths from influenza in the United States Infectious disease deaths in Ohio {{Ohio-mayor-stub