Burnham Martin

Burnham Martin (August 10, 1811 – November 17, 1882) was a Vermont lawyer, farmer and politician who served as Lieutenant Governor for two years.

Early life

Burnham Martin was born in Williamstown, Vermont on August 10, 1811.^[1] He was trained as a saddler and worked in Saratoga Springs, New York and Fayette County, Ohio in the 1830s and 1840s, also teaching school and studying law. After attaining admission to the bar, Martin joined the Whigs and served as Fayette County State's Attorney from 1841 to 1843. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845, and he served in the Ohio Senate from 1845 to 1847.^[2][3]

Martin subsequently returned to Vermont. He settled in Chelsea, where he practiced law and farmed, also serving in local offices for most of his life, including Chelsea Justice of the Peace, Orange County State's Attorney from 1849 to 1850 and 1853, and County Clerk from 1857 to 1858.^[4][5]

Political career

In 1857 Martin represented Chelsea in the Vermont House of Representatives.^[6]

He was elected Lieutenant Governor as a Republican and served from 1858 to 1860.^[7][8][9]

Martin served in the Vermont Senate from 1866 to 1867.^[10]

From 1872 until his death he served as Chelsea's Town Clerk.^[11] In 1876 Martin served again in the Vermont House of Representatives.

Later life

Martin was a member of the Bennington Battle Monument Commission and was active in the Orange County Agricultural Society, serving as its Secretary.^[12][13]

Death and burial

Burnham Martin died in Chelsea on November 17, 1882.^[14][15][16] He was buried in Williamstown's West Hill Cemetery.^[17]

Other

In 1867 at a speech at the agricultural fair in Tunbridge, Vermont, Martin described the event as a "little World's Fair". This name was soon adopted as the official name of the annual fair that is still held to this day. This event is recorded on a historical marker on the edge of the fairgrounds in Tunbridge.^[18][19]

Martin's first name appears variously as "Burnham" or "Burnam." It is spelled "Burnham" on his gravestone.

Photo gallery

Burnham Martin gravestone 2 of 2

Burnham Martin gravestone 1 of 2

References

1. One Thousand Men, by Vermont Historical Society, 1915, page 266
2. Gazetteer of Orange County, Vt., 1762-1888, by Hamilton Child, pages 96 to 97
3. The Biographical Annals of Ohio, 1904-1905, published by Springfield Publishing Company, 1905, page 302
4. Journal of the House of the State of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1850, pages 284 to 285
5. The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, published by Crosby, Nichols and Company, Boston, 1856, page 244
6. The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, edited by Abby Maria Hemenway, Volume 2, 1871, page 873
7. Vermont: The Green Mountain State, by Walter Hill Crockett, Volume 3, 1921, page 465
8. Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1858, page 15
9. General Election results, Vermont Lieutenant Governor, 1813-2011, by Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011, page 10
10. Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont, published by Vermont General Assembly, 1867, page 4
11. Vermont Year Book, published by Claremont (N.H.) Manufacturing, 1877, page 68
12. The Centennial History of the Battle of Bennington, published by George E. Littlefield, Boston, 1877, page 83
13. Magazine article, Officers of Agricultural Societies, The New England Farmer, Volume 4, 1852, page 127
14. Star Almanac for 1882, published by New York Star newspaper, 1883, page 62
15. Death notice, Burnham Martin, New York Times, November 18, 1882
16. Death notice, Burnham Martin, Corning Journal newspaper, November 23, 1882
17. Gravestone photos by contributor Bill McKern, Burnham Martin page, Find A Grave web site, April 11, 2009
18. Vermont Life magazine, by Vermont Agency of Development and Community Affairs, Volumes 29-30, 1974, page 6
19. The Tunbridge World's Fair, by Euclid Farnham, 2008, page 7