After receiving advanced degrees from the University of Virginia and further instruction at Johns Hopkins University, Martin eventually found his way back to Davidson as a chemistry professor.

[1] As president, Martin steered the college through World War I, when many students left college to fight, by bringing a Student Army Training Corps program to campus.

[3] After his retirement, Martin left to work in the PCUSA training school, but returned to Davidson to teach.

[citation needed] The main chemistry building at Davidson is named in honor of both Martin and his father, William Joseph Martin Sr.[4]

This biography of an American academic administrator born in 1860–1869 is a stub.