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367:"a testimony to the enthusiasm, wisdom, and optimism with which Louis Martin approached politics. For more than half a century, he was an indefatigable participant in America's political affairs. After helping FDR with reelection in 1944, he went on to serve as advisor and assistant to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Carter, and along the way initiated generations of black people into the leadership ranks of the American political system. For me he not only was a teacher and a mentor but remained a steadfast friend and a constant source of inspiration. Louis was always immensely generous with his time, and I - like so many others - knew that I could call him anytime and hear that familiar greeting 'What's up?' by which he meant 'fill me in and let's see what needs to be done'."
359:"I always regretted that my old man got up. It struck me that just being a white man made a hell of a lot of difference. It impressed me so much that I became a civil rights advocate at the age of seven. From that time forward, I kept looking for signs and studying people closely as I began to understand how crazy this society is."
142:, Martin graduated from the University of Michigan in 1934, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. Following college, Martin traveled to his father's native Cuba, spending two years there as a freelance writer based in Havana. Returning to the United States in 1936, he was hired as a reporter with the
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He had a large hand in bringing to
Washington Patricia Roberts Harris, now secretary of HUD; Clifford Alexander, now secretary of the Army; Andrew Brimmer, the first black on the Federal Reserve Board; then assistant Secretary of Labor George L.P. Weaver; then ambassador Carl Rowan, and others now in
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Eddie
Williams, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said it was surprising that Martin was largely unknown to the public at large, given his wide-ranging influence in the White House and his role in the development of black political power in the Democratic Party. "One
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Louis Martin recounts his first awareness of race and its peculiar significance in
American society. His father was napping in a back room of his office when the receptionist rushed in excitedly saying: "You've got to get up. It's a white man!" Jolted awake, Dr. Martin rushed to the front
110:(November 18, 1912 – January 27, 1997) was an American journalist, newspaper publisher, civil rights activist and advisor to three presidents of the United States. Through his political activism during the civil rights era, he came to be known as the "Godfather of Black Politics."
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Dr. Martin moved his family to
Savannah when Louis Jr. was age 4, largely because the climate of southeast Georgia reminded him of the sub-tropical climate of his native Santiago, Cuba. It was in Savannah that Louis Jr. later met and married the former Gertrude Scott, a
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reason for this is that in
Washington, he was the consummate political insider," Williams said. "He traversed the corridors of power for many years without calling attention to himself and his achievements." According to Williams, it was in the
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Born in
Shelbyville, Tennessee to Dr. Louis E. Martin Sr. and Willa Martin, Louis Jr. grew up in Savannah, Georgia. His father, a physician of Afro-Cuban ancestry, was a graduate of
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Following the assassination of
President Kennedy in 1963, Martin was among the few close Kennedy advisors to successfully make the transition to the administration of President
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That phone call was credited with helping
Kennedy win a major portion of the black vote in the general election that year. It prompted Dr. King's father, the Reverend
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the leadership structure, such as
University of the District of Columbia President Lisle Carter and National Urban Coalition head M. Carl Holman.
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235:. Secretary Alexander regarded Martin as his mentor. Among the other leading black public figures whom Martin helped raise to prominence was
481:: Louis Martin and the Rise of Black Political Power. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Madison Books, Lanham, Maryland, 1997
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in
Nashville, Tennessee. It was there that he met and married the former Willa Hill of nearby Shelbyville. Louis Jr. was their only son.
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188:(center), and Deputy Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Louis E. Martin (right). Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
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waiting-room. Here, Martin reflects on this event that occurred in 1919 when he was age 7:
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Martin was a Catholic, a member of Little Flower Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland.
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After six months in Chicago, he was asked to return to Michigan to help launch the
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Oral History Interviews with Louis Martin, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
164:, a group of black newspaper publishers. He was also (in 1970) a founder of the
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In the foreword to Poinsett's biography of Louis Martin, Vernon Jordan wrote:
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On Monday, January 27, 1997, Martin died in Orange, California. He was 84.
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American journalist, newspaper publisher, civil rights activist and advisor
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University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni
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Assistant vice president of communications, Howard University, 1981–1987
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National Newspaper Publishers Association, John B. Russwurm Award, 1980
243:. Martin helped recruit Jordan to head the National Urban League.
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that Martin was first called the "Godfather of Black politics".
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to express dismay over the jailing of her husband, the Rev. Dr.
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visits with Democratic Congressional candidate from California,
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Political advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963–1968
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graduate of Ohio State University. They had five children.
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Political advisor to President John F. Kennedy, 1960–1963
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Democratic National Committee, deputy chairman, 1960–1969
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Democratic Party, Larry O'Brien Achievement Award, 1992
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Chairman of the board, Calmar Communications, 1981–1997
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Special assistant to President Jimmy Carter, 1978–1981
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Louis E. Martin, 84, Aide To 3 Democratic Presidents
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National Urban League, Equal Opportunity Award, 1979
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390:Trescott, Jacqueline (October 10, 1978).
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180:President
114:Early life
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83:1997-01-28
434:0190-8286
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308:Awards
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76:Died
59:Born
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