Charles H. Martin re-election campaign poster

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1003

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of a campaign poster for the re-election of Oregon Governor Charles H. Martin, distributed during the 1938 primary race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. The poster features a black-and-white portrait of Martin and the phrases, "Re-elect Governor Martin" and "He protects our home."

Dates

Creation: 1938

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

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

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 oversize folder (11x14) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Poster for the re-election campaign of Oregon Governor Charles H. Martin (1863-1946). After serving in the U.S. Army, Martin was elected as a representative in the U.S. Congress in 1930 and 1932, and was elected governor of Oregon in 1934. He was defeated in the primary for the 1938 Democratic gubernatorial election and retired from politics after the end of his term.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Martin's grandson Charles H. Martin, August 2021 (RL2022-029).

Related Materials

Other papers of and relating to Charles H. Martin at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library include the Charles Henry Martin papers, Mss 1153; the Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes papers, Coll 825; and the Charles H. Martin and Ellis Hughes family papers, Coll 893.