Los Angeles County

Biographies

 

 

 

 

 

THEODORE MARTIN

 

 

            A pioneer Los Angeles attorney, the late Theodore Martin practiced continuously in this city for more than three and a half decades and was widely known as an authority on mining law.  He was born in Quebec, Canada, on July 1, 1855, and was a son of Theodore and Isabella (Black) Martin, the father of the latter built the steamship “Royal William” that made the first trip across the Atlantic Ocean under her own steam power, the year being 1833 and is recognized by the Canadian government as an achievement of that century.  When Theodore was a small boy his father died and the mother with some of her children went to Chicago, Illinois, leaving Theodore in Canada until he was twenty-one years of age and there he grew up to farm work and went to school.

            In 1880 Theodore Martin went to Chicago, where he remained a short time and then traveled westward to Colorado which only a few years before had entered the Union.  Here he opened a store at Garfield with a stock of goods he had taken there for a company in Chicago.  He served as mayor of the frontier town when gambling was rife among the miners and law and order were in the making.  As an official he was a success and he soon took up the study of law at Buena Vista and after completing his studies he was admitted to the bar and formed a partnership with the Hon. Charles S. Libby, with offices at Salida and Buena Vista, that state.  He had selected mining law and land office procedure as a specialty and devoted his energies and talents along those lines becoming an authority on mining law in the United States by reason of his close connection with the large mining companies operating in the Leadville and other districts there.  Entering the political arena, his grasp of party affairs, his eloquence, his popularity with the leaders of his party and with the public, brought him quick success.  In 1891 he was elected District Attorney for the eleventh Judicial District of Colorado, embracing the counties of Chaffee, Park, Custer, and Fremont, and made an enviable record as public prosecutor.

            Coming to California in 1895 Mr. Martin located in Los Angeles and in association with Messrs, Kemp and Oliver practiced law for several years.  He then became associated with Lloyd Moultrie and the late Judge Grant Jackson in practice.  Mr. Martin specialized in mining cases, successfully handling much important litigation of that character, and was considered one of the foremost men in that line in this part of the country.  He was admitted to the United States Supreme Court in 1913 and handled many land and mining cases in Washington, D. C.  He also had a general practice which grew to large proportions with the passing of years.  He was an acknowledged leader of the Los Angeles bar and followed his calling continuously for thirty-seven years, continuously active up to the time of his death on May 3, 1932.  He was the author of the standard text, “Martin’s Mining Law and Land Office Procedure.”  This work, which appeared in 1908, has been well received by the legal profession and is considered authoritative.  He devoted much time to research and study and his library, especially with reference to works treating of his specialty, was one of the best in the State of California.

            At Salida, Colorado, on January 28, 1909, Mr. Martin was united in marriage with Miss Frances M. McClure and they had two sons: Theodore Martin, Jr., and Finla James, both of whom reside with their mother at 2351 West Thirty-first Street, Los Angeles.  In politics Mr. Martin was a republican, never wavering in his allegiance to the party.  His religious views were in harmony with the Presbyterian Church.  He was a Mason having been Master of the lodge at Salida, Colorado.  When he came to Los Angeles he demitted to Southern California Lodge, No. 278, Free and Accepted Masons (F & A. M). and was a Knight Templar and a Shriner.  His name appeared on the rolls of the Sierra Madre Club, the Union League Club and the Jonathan Club, being one of the organizers and a charter member of the latter.  In all matters touching upon the welfare and advancement of his adopted city Mr. Martin took a deep and abiding interest and was active in the Chamber of Commerce.  He was a man with broad vision and had a sympathetic understanding of human nature.  Stable in purpose, he never deviated from the course which he entered upon at the outset of his career, and while he won success and distinction in his profession, he also gained the respect and confidence of his fellowmen because of his high standards and his genuine worth as a man and citizen.

            From the Oil Bulletin, June 1932:

            “Members of the California Oil and Gas Association were saddened to learn of the death, on May 3, of Theodore Martin, for years a member of the organization’s board of directors.  Mr. Martin, a veteran that he was in the Association’s service, somehow seemed to personify the organization itself to the other members of the board, his wide knowledge of mining and oil problems and his honest, oaklike character making him a respected court of appeal in many differences of opinion.”

            Following is the resolution passed by the board of directors of the Association on May 19th:

            “Whereas, Theodore Martin, for many years prominently identified with this Association, departed this life on May 3, 1932, and

            “Whereas, his associates regarded him as a man of rare counsel and judgment, as well as one whose outstanding traits were sympathy and kindliness, and

            “Whereas, in his passing our Association and his many friends have lost a wise counselor and a steadfast friend now, therefore

            “Be it resolved that the board of directors of California Oil and Gas Association, in regular meeting assembled this nineteenth day of May, 1932, do hereby express their grief at the loss of a beloved colleague, and their sympathy for his family in their bereavement.”

 

 

 

Transcribed By:  Michele Y. Larsen on April 2, 2012.

Source: California of the South Vol. II,  by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 227-230, Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles,  Indianapolis.  1933.

© 2012 Michele Y. Larsen.

 

 

 

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