Martin Burns
| Martin Burns | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Martin Burns |
| Born |
February 15, 1861 Cedar County, Iowa |
| Died | January 8, 1937 (aged 75) Council Bluffs, Iowa |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Martin Burns Farmer Burns |
| Billed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Billed from | Springfield Township, Iowa |
| Debut | 1869 |
Martin "Farmer" Burns (February 15, 1861 – January 8, 1937) was an American world champion "catch-as-catch-can" wrestler as well as wrestling coach and teacher. Born in Cedar County, Iowa he started wrestling as a teenager and made money traveling around the Midwest wrestling in carnivals and fairs. As a professional he claimed the American Heavyweight Championship by defeating Evan "Strangler" Lewis in 1895 and held the title for two years. Martin Burns himself claimed to have wrestled in more than 6,000 matches and is said to have lost only seven. This was during the time when professional wrestling was a legitimate sport. After the end of his active wrestling career he started a successful wrestling school in Omaha and later coached Cedar Rapids' Washington high school to the very first Iowa high school state wrestling tournament title. He died in Council Bluffs in 1937. In 2001 Martin "Farmer" Burns was inducted into the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2002. The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted Martin Burns in 2003.
Martin Burns was born on February 15, 1861, in a log cabin on a farm in Cedar County, Iowa. Growing up amidst the Civil War, Burns was exposed at an early age to the sport of wrestling, which was a preferred activity among the soldiers while stationed in camp. Consequently, the sport’s popularity further increased during the 1860s, and many historians also speculate that the added interest may be due to the fact that President Abraham Lincoln had himself been a champion wrestler in his younger years (it is documented that Lincoln once beat the Louisiana State Champion in New Salem, LA in 1831).
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