William Martin

Who was William Martin?

William George Martin was a Canadian clergyman and politician. Martin represented Brantford in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1934 as a Conservative member and St. Matthews as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1958 to 1966.

He was born in Milton Abbot, Devonshire, England, the son of William Martin, and came to Canada in 1910, settling in Calgary. He was ordained a minister of the Congregational Church there. He returned to England in 1912 promoting immigration on behalf of the Canadian government. On his return to Canada, he received a degree in theology from Victoria College in Toronto. He served as an assistant minister for the Methodist Church in Hamilton and then was a chaplain overseas during World War I. He returned to serve with the Congregational Church in Brantford. In 1935, Martin was historian for the Canadian expedition to the Eastern Arctic. He was elected to the Ontario provincial assembly and served as the Minister of Public Works from 1930 to 1934.

In 1936, Martin became minister at a United Church in Winnipeg, serving there until 1955.