author
John Alexander Martin
1839–1889
A printer turned newspaper editor, soldier, and Kansas governor, he lived at the center of the state's turbulent early history. His life links the worlds of frontier journalism, Civil War service, and nineteenth-century politics.
3 Audiobooks
Addresses: by John A. Martin. Delivered in Kansas.
by John Alexander Martin
The Wyandotte Convention: an address
by John Alexander Martin
Address delivered at the quarter-centennial celebration of the admission of Kansas as a state
by John Alexander Martin
About the author
Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in 1839, he learned the printing trade while still young and moved to Kansas in the tense years before the Civil War. There he bought and edited a newspaper, using journalism as both a profession and a political platform in the fierce struggles over slavery and statehood.
During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army and remained closely tied to public life afterward. He went on to become a leading Republican in Kansas and served as the state's tenth governor from 1885 to 1889.
Martin also wrote about Kansas history, which makes him more than a political figure alone. He died in 1889, leaving behind a career that joined publishing, military service, and public office in a single energetic life.