John Wellborn Martin (June 21, 1884 – February 22, 1958) was an American politician who served as the 24th Governor of Florida, from 1925 to 1929.
Prior to seeking public office, Martin toured the state and gave a number of speeches in favor of President Woodrow Wilson's policies.
During his tenure as Mayor of Jacksonville, Martin supported a progressive program of public improvements and sought reform for the fire and police departments.
[1] Toward the end of his third term as Mayor of Jacksonville, Martin announced he would not seek re-election and instead declared his candidacy for 1924 Florida gubernatorial election.
Because no candidate received a majority, the second choice of Jennings, Trammell, and Spencer voters were added to the totals for Martin and Catts.
[8] During his tenure, tourism and land speculation purchases increased, road and highway developments were advanced, and an industrial plant for physically disabled prisoners was created.
Martin also advocated for state-funded public schools and for granting free schoolbooks to all students through sixth grade.
In a failed attempt to fight bad publicity about real estate scams, Martin and a delegation went to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, owned by T. Coleman du Pont (an investor in Addison Mizner's projects), in New York City and held a seminar called "The Truth About Florida".
[1] The former devastated the areas in the vicinity of Miami and towns along the western shores of Lake Okeechobee, such as Clewiston and Moore Haven,[10] leaving at least 372 fatalities and up to $125 million (1926 USD) in damage.
The cities of Belle Glade, Chosen, Miami Locks (today Lake Harbor), Pahokee, and South Bay were devastated, with the loss of more than 2,500 lives.
[14] Discussion about drainage and dikes along Lake Okeechobee re-commenced, but the projects did not begin until after the passage of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930, after Martin left office.
He received the most votes in a seven candidate field that included state's attorney David Sholtz and former Governor Cary A.
[17] After retiring from politics, Martin built his own house in Tallahassee in 1933, which has been listed as a National Historic Place since 1986.