Charles Henry Martin was born in October 1863 in Grayville, Illinois. He attended West Point and subsequently served as a U.S. Army officer, serving in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. Martin retired from the Army in 1927 with the rank of major general after serving as commander of the Panama Canal Zone, and he moved to Portland, Oregon.

In 1930, Martin successfully ran as a Democrat for U.S. representative of Oregon's Third District, an office to which he was re-elected in 1932. As a congressman, he persuaded the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to fund construction of the Bonneville Dam. Martin was elected governor of Oregon in 1934. As governor, he was known for his criticism of New Deal programs and his antipathy toward labor unions. Martin lost the primary for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1938, and retired from politics following the end of his term.

Martin married Louise Hughes, the daughter of Portland attorney Ellis G. Hughes, in 1897. The couple had three children: Samuel, Ellis, and Jane Louise. Martin died in Portland in September 1946.

Source: "Charles Martin (1862-1946)," by Gary Murrell, Oregon Encyclopedia, "https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/martin_charles_1863_1946_/#.YoLZSajMKbg