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William Dickinson Martin
Gender:
Male
Born:
October 2, 1789
Died:
November 17, 1833
Home Town:
Martintown, SC
Later Residences:
Coosawatchie, SC
Barnwell, SC
Columbia, SC
Barnwell, SC
Columbia, SC
Marriage(s):
Harrietta Williamson Martin (May 28, 1811)
Sally Dorsey Martin (January 5, 1830)
Sally Dorsey Martin (January 5, 1830)
Biographical Notes:
William Dickinson Martin was the son of General John and Elizabeth [Terry] Martin. He was born in Martintown, South Carolina. After graduating from the Law School he was admitted to the bar in South Carolina and formed a partnership with his benefactor Edmund Bacon.
He moved to Coosawhatchie in 1813. He served as member of the State house of representatives for St. Luke's Parish 1816–1817. Later he served as clerk of the State Senate 1818–1826.
Martin was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twentieth and Twenty-first U.S Congresses (March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831). Later he served as Judge of the Circuit Courts of Law and Appeal from1831 to 1833. He moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where he resided until his death in Charleston, South Carolina, November 17, 1833. He was interred in the churchyard cemetery of St. Michael's Church.
He moved to Coosawhatchie in 1813. He served as member of the State house of representatives for St. Luke's Parish 1816–1817. Later he served as clerk of the State Senate 1818–1826.
Martin was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twentieth and Twenty-first U.S Congresses (March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1831). Later he served as Judge of the Circuit Courts of Law and Appeal from1831 to 1833. He moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where he resided until his death in Charleston, South Carolina, November 17, 1833. He was interred in the churchyard cemetery of St. Michael's Church.
Quotes:
"Dr. Sir, Give me leave to introduce to your acquaintance and attendtion, Mr. William Marting, who proposed to spend some time under your direction in your much valued Law School. From my knowledge of Mr. Martin's character, I doubt not you will find him a diligent and an apt student, always ready to embrace those many opportunity of improvement, which the institution at the head of which you preside so often present. It will not be necessary for me to solicit your politeness towards him, since I am well assured his claim to your attention will rest on a much more respectable foundation, his own good behavior and respectable character." John C. Calhoun to Tapping Reeve, February 10, 1810.
Education
Years at LLS:
1810
Profession / Service
Profession:
Lawyer; Political Office
Admitted To Bar:
November 27, 1811
Training with Other Lawyers:
He studied with Mr. Edmund Bacon at the Edgefield Courthouse in South Carolina.
Political Party:
Jacksonian
Federal Posts:
U.S. Representative (SC) 1817-1831
State Posts:
State Representative (SC) 1816-1817
Clerk of the State Senate (SC) 1818-1826
Judge of the Circuit Court (SC) 1831-1833
Clerk of the State Senate (SC) 1818-1826
Judge of the Circuit Court (SC) 1831-1833
State Committees:
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- Harrietta Williamson Martin
Wife - Sally Dorsey Martin
Wife - Elizabeth Terry Martin
Mother - John Martin
Father
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Litchfield County Bar Association Records, 1810, Letter of introduction from John C. Calhoun to Tapping Reeve dated 10 Feb 1810 for Mr. William Martin; Catalogue of Litchfield Law School (Hartford, Connecticut: Press of Tiffany, Case and Company, 1849),
Secondary Sources:
Bailey, N. Louis. Biographical Directory of the South Carolina Senate, Vol. II. University of South Carolina Press, 1986.; Chapman, John A. History of Edgefield County From the Earliest Settlements to 1897. Newberry, SC: Elbert H. Aull, Publisher and Printer, 1897.; O'Neall, John Belton. Biogrpahical Sketches of the Bench and Bar of South Carolina, Vol. I. Charleston, SC: S.G. Courtenay & Co., 1859.; Edgefield County Historical Society. Edgefield County Judges. Edgefield, SC: Edgefield Advertiser Printer, 1942.
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