Martin, George W. (George Washington), 1841-1914

George Washington Martin was born in Pennsylvania to David and Mary Howell Martin on 30 June 1841. In 1855 his father went to Kansas, taking a claim near Lecompton, Douglas County, and two years later brought his family back with him. In the meantime, George had started working in the printing trade. He continued in this line in Kansas and finished his apprenticeship back east in Philadelphia. Returning to Kansas in the early 1860s, he started publishing the Republican newspaper the Union in Junction City, Geary County (then called Davis County). In 1888 he went to Kansas City, Kansas to publish the daily newspaper the Gazette, and in 1899 he took over as secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society when Franklin Adams, the first secretary, died. Martin held numerous public offices, including postmaster, register for the Junction City land office, assessor of internal revenue, Junction City mayor, state printer, etc. In 1863 in Pottawatomie County, George Martin married Lydia Coulson. They had five children, two of whom died in infancy. Lydia died in 1900, and Martin remarried in 1901 to Josephine Blakely. Both women he had known throughout most of his life in Kansas. His health beginning to fail him in 1913, on 27 March 1914 George Washington Martin died.

From the description of George Washington Martin papers, 1858 - 1914 (Kansas State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 714157023