Elbert Sevier Martin was a nineteenth century Congressman and newspaper publisher from Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. He was the brother of John Preston Martin

John Preston Martin

John Preston Martin was a political figure in Kentucky in the early 19th century. He was born on October 11, 1811 near Jonesville, Lee County, Virginia. He moved to Prestonsburg, Floyd County, Kentucky in 1828. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1841 through 1843.Martin served in...

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Biography

Born near Jonesville, Virginia

Jonesville, Virginia

Jonesville is a town in and the county seat of Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 995 at the 2000 census.- History :Jonesville was established in 1794 as the county seat of Lee County. The town was known as Glade Spring in its infancy. It was incorporated in 1884, and...

, Martin attended the public schools as a child and went on to attend Emory and Henry College

Emory and Henry College

Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...

 from 1845 to 1848. He engaged in mercantile

Mercantilism

Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...

 pursuits in Jonesville before being elected an Independent Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in 1858, serving from 1859 to 1861, being unsuccessful for reelection in 1860. Martin served in the Confederate Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 during the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 as captain of a company of volunteers which was formed in his hometown of Jonesville. After the war, Martin moved to Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

in 1870 and became interested in the newspaper publishing business. He died in Dallas on September 3, 1876.