John Wills Martin was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

-born merchant and political figure in Newfoundland. He represented Placentia and St. Mary's in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...

 from 1832 to 1836.

He came to St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

 from Poole

Poole

Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...

, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

 in 1816, later working as a clerk at Trinity

Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador

Trinity is a small town located on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador.The harbour at Trinity was first used by fishing ships around the 16th century. The Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real is said to have named this place because he arrived here on Trinity Sunday in 1501. It was settled by...

 for George Garland

George Garland

George Garland was an English politician and merchant involved in the Newfoundland fishery.He was born in East Lulworth, Dorset, the son of a yeoman farmer. In 1779, Garland married Amy Lester, the daughter of Benjamin Lester, who was involved in the fish trade, and became the manager for Lester's...

 and Sons. In 1827, he was sent to Twillingate

Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador

Twillingate is a town of 2,448 people located on the Twillingate Islands in Notre Dame Bay. It is located off the northeastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was incorporated on September 30, 1965. The town is about north of Lewisporte and...

. Martin later was employed by another firm in St. Mary's

St. Mary's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. Mary's is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 482 in the Canada 2006 Census, in 199 dwellings....

. In 1830, he was named justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for the southern district, and, in 1834, a commissioner of roads. He was married twice: to Phoebe Cooper in 1827 and to Martha Taylor in 1839. In 1834, Martin was named a governor for the Savings Bank in St. John's. In 1836, he became head of a branch in Carbonear

Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador

Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2006, there are 4,723 people living in Carbonear, down from 4,759 in 2001.-History:...

 of the mercantile firm which employed him and also became justice of the peace for the northern district. In 1843, he was named a justice of the peace for Fogo

Fogo, Newfoundland and Labrador

Fogo is an outport town on Fogo Island, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:The largest community on the island, the town may also be the location of the island's first permanent settlement, which took place in the early 18th century, though it is unknown...

. Martin may have returned to England some time after that.