Roy Martin was an American politician who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

from 1962 to 1974. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he was renown for his support of

racial integration Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of Race (classification of human beings), race, and t ...

and served as the 31st President of the

United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded ...

from 1973 to 1974.

Early life

Martin attended high school at Maury High School and graduated in 1939. Martin attended the Norfolk division of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

from 1939 to 1940, before it transitioned into

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

. He then attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

where he received a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in commerce. After college Martin served in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Upon the conclusion of the war he returned to Norfolk to run a food brokerage business.

Political career

City Council

Martin was appointed to the city council by Mayor W. Fred Duckworth in 1953, becoming the city's youngest councilor. During his first year in office, there was talk among the city council to transition the Norfolk division of William and Mary into a four-year institution. However, despite support from Mayor Duckworth, the city council rejected the prospect due to fear that they would be left covering the cost of the institution without state funding. Nine years later in 1962, this proposed transition was revisited and passed with the division becoming the Old Dominion University. In 1959, during the Massive resistance movement all white schools in the city where shut down to prevent racial integration. The city council then held a vote to additionally shut down all black schools, Martin was the sole dissenting vote on the city council voting to keep the schools open.

Mayor of Norfolk

Martin succeeded Duckworth as mayor in 1962. During his tenure he helped create the

Chrysler Museum of Art The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum on the border between downtown and the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler Jr ...

and the

MacArthur Memorial The MacArthur Memorial is a memorial, museum, and research center about the life of General Douglas MacArthur. It consists of three buildings on MacArthur Square in Norfolk, Virginia. MacArthur never lived in Norfolk but his mother, Mary Pinkne ...

as well as green lighting the creation of a new arena and recreation development. Martin served as the 31st President of the United States Conference of Mayors from 1973 to 1974.

Retirement

Martin retired from the mayoralty and the city council in 1974 upon the completion of his term as President of the United States Conference of Mayors. However, he remained active and participated in several local boards and was the city's goodwill ambassador. He was also commander of the American Legion Post No. 300.

Personal life

Martin was married to Louise Eggleston Martin and the couple had a son and a daughter. Martin died in 2002 at the age of 81 after a battle with cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Roy 1921 births 2002 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Virginia College of William & Mary alumni Mayors of Norfolk, Virginia University of Virginia alumni Virginia Democrats