Joseph William Martin, Jr.

Joseph William Martin Jr.
44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955
President	Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Sam Rayburn
Succeeded by	Sam Rayburn
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Sam Rayburn
Succeeded by	Sam Rayburn
House Minority Leader
In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1959
Deputy	Leslie C. Arends
Preceded by	Sam Rayburn
Succeeded by	Charles Halleck
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953
Deputy	Leslie C. Arends
Preceded by	Sam Rayburn
Succeeded by	Sam Rayburn
In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1947
Deputy	Harry L. Englebright (1939–1943) Leslie C. Arends (1943–1947)
Preceded by	Bertrand H. Snell
Succeeded by	Sam Rayburn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 15th district
In office March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933
Preceded by	Robert M. Leach
Succeeded by	Charles L. Gifford
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 14th district
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1963
Preceded by	Richard B. Wigglesworth
Succeeded by	District eliminated
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967
Preceded by	Laurence Curtis
Succeeded by	Margaret Heckler
Chairman of the Republican National Committee
In office 1940–1942
Preceded by	John Hamilton
Succeeded by	Harrison E. Spangler
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office 1914–1917
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1912–1914
Personal details
Born	November 3, 1884 (1884-11-03) North Attleborough, Massachusetts
Died	March 6, 1968 (1968-03-07) (aged 83) Hollywood, Florida
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Single, Never married

Joseph William Martin Jr. (November 3, 1884 – March 6, 1968) was an American politician who served as the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and 1953 to 1955; he represented the district covering North Attleborough, Massachusetts. He was the only Republican to serve as Speaker in a sixty-four year period from 1931 to 1995. He was a "compassionate conservative" who opposed the New Deal and supported the Conservative coalition of Republicans and southern Democrats, especially on opposing labor unions. He lost the role of House Republican leader to an even more conservative Midwesterner.

Joe Martin was born in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, the son of Catherine (Katon) and Joseph William Martin, a blacksmith. He graduated from North Attleborough High School, where he played shortstop on the school baseball team. He also played semi-professional ball in an intercity league, from which he earned ten dollars per game. Martin worked for the Evening Chronicle, first as a newspaper delivery boy and then as the managing editor and publisher. In his autobiography entitled My First Fifty Years in Politics, Martin describes the North Attleborough where he was reared:

Though Martin had intended to attend Dartmouth College, he instead remained with his newspaper work, where his future prospects seemed promising. "I felt that I should keep working and take some of the burden off my parents by helping put my younger brothers through college," noting that he used most of his $750 annual salary as a state senator to defray Edward's expenses at Dartmouth.

Martin served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1912–1914), Massachusetts Senate (1914–1917) and the United States House of Representatives (1925–1967). He entered Congress when Massachusetts was a historically Republican state. As Democrats gained overwhelming strength over the years, Martin managed to hold on to his House seat despite ongoing redistricting. In his autobiography, Martin explains:

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