Charles H. Martin

Charles H. Martin
Brig. Genl. C.H. Martin, August 21, 1922
21st Governor of Oregon
In office January 14, 1935 – January 9, 1939
Preceded by	Julius L. Meier
Succeeded by	Charles A. Sprague
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1935
Preceded by	Franklin F. Korell
Succeeded by	William A. Ekwall
Personal details
Born	(1863-10-01)October 1, 1863 Edwards County, Illinois
Died	September 22, 1946(1946-09-22) (aged 82) Portland, Oregon
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Louise Hughes
Profession	Military, politician

Charles Henry Martin (October 1, 1863 – September 22, 1946) was an American Army officer and later politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he had a 40-year career in the military including serving in conflicts from the Spanish–American War to World War I before retiring as a major general. A Democrat, he was the U.S. Representative for Oregon's 3rd congressional district from 1931 to 1935 and then was the state's 21st Governor from 1935 to 1939.

Charles Martin was born near Albion, Illinois, on October 1, 1863. He attended Ewing College (Ewing, Illinois) for two years until he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy. He would actively serve in the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and Boxer Rebellion after graduating from West Point in 1887. In 1920, when the army's authority to maintain Jim Crow regulations seemed threatened, Martin wrote that "the negro is of very little importance... the average negro is not by any means equal to the average white man."

Martin was later a division commander of the famous Blackhawk Division and the U.S. V Corps in the Argonne during World War I and served as the U.S. Army Assistant Chief of Staff from 1922 to 1924. He was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal and two citations for bravery in action and retired from the Army as a major general on October 1, 1927, after commanding the Panama Canal department for three years.