John Martin (August 18, 1820 – May 25, 1905) of Peacham, Vermont, was an American steamboat captain and businessman in Minneapolis, Minnesota involved in lumber and flour milling.

John Martin went with his brothers during the California Gold Rush and mined successfully for one year.

[2] In 1855, in the Minnesota Territorial town of St. Anthony, John Martin was standard-bearer and leader on horseback of the ceremonial opening of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, the first major permanent bridge across the Mississippi River.

[3] He became President of the First National Bank, he owned the largest lumber mill in the area until it burned in 1887,[4] and he was founding officer of Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway and Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste.

Her son, and sole direct descendant, was Earle Brown,[10] noted Hennepin County Sheriff (1920), founder of the Minnesota State Patrol (1929), and Republican gubernatorial candidate for Minnesota (1932).