John Mason Martin

Martin was born on January 20, 1837, in Athens, Alabama,^[1][2] though The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography states he was born in Athens, Pennsylvania. He was the son of politician Joshua L. Martin and Mary G. (née Mason) Martin.^[3] His uncle – his mother's brother – was politician John Y. Mason.^[3]

Educated at common schools, Martin studied under Henry Tutwiler. He furthered his education at the University of Alabama and Centre College, graduating from the latter in 1856.^[2] He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta.^[4] He later received honorary degrees from Auburn University, Centre College, the Central University of Kentucky, Georgetown University, and the University of Alabama.^[2] He read law under Elisha Wolsey Peck.^[2]

In 1858, Martin was admitted to the bar, after which he began practicing law in Tuscaloosa.^[1] By 1860, he owned three slaves.^[2][5][6] During the American Civil War, he was an officer in the Confederate States Army.^[3] From 1875 to 1886, he was a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Alabama.^[1]

Martin was a Democrat. From 1871 to 1876, he was a member of the Alabama Senate, serving as its president pro tempore from 1873 to 1876. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1887,^[1] representing Alabama's 6th district.^[5] While serving, he was a member of the Committees on Elections and on Patents.^[2]

Martin was not nominated for re-election,^[1] with his defeat stemming from his support of a tariff.^[2] He supported a bill regulating work hours.^[7] He was a delegate to the 1856 Democratic National Convention.^[5] Politically, he was liberal.^[8]

After serving in Congress, Martin continued practicing law in Birmingham.^[1] In 1857, he married Lucy Peck, the daughter of judge Elisha Peck; they had seven children together, four surviving to adulthood.^[2] He died on June 16, 1898, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, in Tuscaloosa.^[1]