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Thomas E. Martin

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Thomas Ellsworth Martin
United States Senator
from Iowa
In office
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1961
Preceded byGuy Gillette
Succeeded byJack Miller
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1955
Preceded byEdward C. Eicher
Succeeded byFred Schwengel
Mayor of Iowa City
In office
1935–1937
Preceded byJohn Carroll
Succeeded byMyron Walker
Personal details
Born(1893-01-18)January 18, 1893
Melrose, Iowa, U.S.
DiedJune 27, 1971(1971-06-27) (aged 78)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Resting placeWillamette National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Iowa
Columbia University
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
RankFirst lieutenant
UnitU.S. 35th Infantry
Battles/warsWorld War I

Thomas Ellsworth Martin (January 18, 1893 – June 27, 1971) was an American politician who served as a United States Representative (1939–1955) and Senator (1955–1961) from Iowa. A Republican, he served in Congress for 22 consecutive years.

Biography

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Born in Melrose, Iowa, Martin attended the public schools and graduated from the State University of Iowa (in 1916) and from its College of Law (in 1927). He received his LL.M. from Columbia Law School in 1928 and was a sales analyst and accountant for a rubber company in Akron, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas, in 1916 and 1917. During the First World War he served as a first lieutenant with the Thirty-fifth Infantry, United States Army, from 1917 to 1919. After the war, he continued work in the rubber industry, then became an assistant professor of military science and tactics at the University of Iowa from 1921 to 1923. He was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1927 and commenced practice in Iowa City, of which he served as city solicitor from 1933 to 1935 and mayor from 1935 to 1937.

In 1938, Martin was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Iowa's 1st congressional district. He was re-elected to the House seven consecutive times, serving from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1955.

In 1954, instead of running again for the House, Martin ran for the U.S. Senate. He defeated incumbent Senator Guy Gillette of the Democratic Party, who was then completing his second full term in the Senate. For the first time since 1924, both of Iowa's senators, and all of its representatives, were Republicans. Martin served from January 3, 1955, to January 3, 1961. Martin voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960.[1][2][3] He retired after one term, moving to Seattle, Washington, where he died in June 1971.

References

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  1. ^ "Senate – August 7, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (10). U.S. Government Printing Office: 13900. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Senate – August 29, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 16478. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Senate – April 8, 1960" (PDF). Congressional Record. 106 (6). U.S. Government Printing Office: 7810–7811. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for United States Senator from Iowa
(Class 2)
1954 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 1st congressional district
1939–1955 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Iowa
1955–1961
Served alongside: Bourke B. Hickenlooper 		Succeeded by
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