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Joseph William Martin Jr.

Joseph William Martin Jr.
SPEAKER JWMartin.jpg
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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