Martin Gay (December 29, 1726 – February 3, 1809) was a metal smith and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. He represented Cumberland Township in the

Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1783 to 1785. He was born in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

, the son of the Reverend Ebenezer Gay and Jerusha Bradford. Gay was married twice: first to Mary Pinckey in 1750 and then to Ruth Atkins in 1765. Gay went to Halifax in 1776 when the loyalists left

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 ...

. He served as a justice in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

. He was elected to the assembly in a 1783 by-election held after Hezekiah King's seat was declared vacant for non-attendance. Gay travelled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1788 and then returned to Boston in 1792. He died there at the age of 82. His letters were published in 1898. His brother

Jotham Jotham or Yotam (; ; ) was the eleventh king of Judah, and son of Uzziah and Jerusha, daughter of Zadok. Jotham was 25 years old when he began his reign, and he reigned for 16 years. Edwin R. Thiele concluded that his reign commenced as a coreg ...

also served in the assembly. His son

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

served in the New Brunswick assembly.

References

1726 births 1809 deaths 18th-century metalsmiths 18th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Canadian metalsmiths {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub