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This article is about the Vermont legislator. For the American journalist, see Elbert S. Martin.

Elbert Eli Martin (January 22, 1881 – September 1, 1956) was Theodore Roosevelt's stenographer. He is known for tackling perpetrator John Schrank after the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt. Martin went on to serve in the Vermont General Assembly.

Early life

Elbert Martin was born in Manchester, New Hampshire.[1] He went to high school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and graduated from Rhinelander High School, where he was an American football player. After high school, he moved to Michigan and took classes at Big Rapids Business College, where he also played football.[2] In 1912, he graduated from the Detroit College of Law with a law degree.[3]

Career

Martin moved to New York City, and on August 16, 1912, began working for Theodore Roosevelt as a stenographer; because of his size and background in football he was also an unofficial bodyguard for Roosevelt while he was campaigning for President of the United States. In Saginaw, Michigan, he was accompanying Roosevelt when he pushed a man into the gutter; Roosevelt thought that Martin was too rough with people at times.[2]

Assassination attempt

On October 14, 1912, Martin accompanied Theodore Roosevelt to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and found himself in the middle of an assassination attempt on the former president. Leaving the Gilpatrick Hotel, Roosevelt walked outside and climbed into a waiting convertible. When Martin climbed into the vehicle, a man named John Schrank stepped forward and shot Roosevelt. Just as the shot was fired into Roosevelt's chest, Martin overpowered the shooter. He grabbed Schrank around his neck and took his gun away before he could take a second shot. Martin then dragged the man near Roosevelt and said, "Here he is. Look at him Colonel."[4] Schrank had tried to get off a second shot, but Martin's quick action in tackling Schrank and redirecting the weapon may have saved Roosevelt's life.[5] The Boston Evening Transcript called Martin a "Hero of Occasion".[6] Roosevelt gave Martin the assassin's gun along with the spent bullet casing, five bullets, and a gold watch inscribed, "To Elbert E. Martin from Theodore Roosevelt in Remembrance of October 14, 1912".[7] Roosevelt was not more seriously wounded because the bullet first had to pass through his fifty-page speech, which had been folded in half, and his spectacle case; and Martin did not allow the shooter to take a second shot.[8]

Personal life

Martin was married in the summer of 1912; the couple made their home in New York City and had a daughter, later moving to Vermont, Detroit, and Idaho.[2] In the 1940s, Martin worked for a Detroit law firm. Later, he moved to Vermont and went on to serve 10 years in the Vermont General Assembly, representing the town of Putney.[9][10][11][12] He also worked as a publicity director and legal advisor for Vanderbilt Hotels.[9] Martin died September 1, 1956, at Steele Memorial Hospital in Salmon, Idaho, after five weeks of hospitalization. His funeral was at Jones Funeral Home, and he was buried in Salmon.[9]

References

  1. ^ Helferich, Gerard (October 8, 2013). Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin: Madness, Vengeance, and the Campaign of 1912. Washington, DC: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4930-0077-7. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Elbert E. Martin a Hero". Chicago Tribune. October 16, 1912. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Entz, Gary; Martin, Mackenzie (February 27, 2019). "In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt's Life Was Saved by a Rhinelander Native". WXPR. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Maniac in Milwaukee Shoots Col. Roosevelt; He Ignores Wound, Speaks an Hour, Goes. to Hospital". The New York Times. October 15, 1912. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Martin Prevented a Second Shot by Would-Be Assassin". Birmingham Post-Herald. October 16, 1912. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  6. ^ "Elbert E. Martin Hero of Occasion". Boston Evening Transcript. October 15, 1912. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Rice, Charles (October 3, 1965). "Theodore Roosevelt's Life Saved by Assistant". The News Tribune. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Arnold, Christopher (June 23, 1968). "A 50-page Speech, Spectacle Case Save 'Bull Moose's Life'". The Star Press. p. 37. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Obituary for Elbert E. Martin". The Brattleboro Reformer. September 13, 1956. p. 14. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Conservation of Wildlife Report of the Select Committee on Conservation of Wildlife. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1945. p. 499. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Given Party". The Brattleboro Reformer. June 15, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "Annual Report Town of Putney" (PDF). www.putneyvt.org. E.L. Hildreth & Company. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbert_E._Martin