[1] He was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal and two citations for bravery in action[3] and retired from the Army as a major general on October 1, 1927, after commanding the Panama Canal Department for three years.

His brilliant professional attainments and steadfast devotion to duty were reflected in the high standards maintained throughout the organizations under his command, rendering important services to the American Expeditionary Forces.Martin embarked on his second career after retiring to Portland, Oregon with his wife.

Martin was elected governor in 1934, during a time of intense labor turmoil and the middle of the Great Depression, earning a reputation for restoring state finances.

The major issues that Martin dealt with during his time in office were economic recovery from the Great Depression, reconstruction of the Oregon State Capitol, the planning and construction of the Bonneville Dam, and the development of statewide port and highway infrastructures.

In 1937, the NLRB failed to settle a jurisdictional dispute between the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that had closed all Portland sawmills.

He made himself the enemy of what many saw as corrupt labor leaders, particularly by his appointment of Assistant Attorney General Ralph E. Moody to prosecute many union people accused of arson and assault.