Frederick Townsend Martin

Frederick Townsend Martin (December 6, 1849 – March 8, 1914) was a New York City writer, advocate for the poor,[1][2] and an acknowledged leader of society in New York.[3] He was referred to as a "millionaire with a mission."[4]

Martin circa 1900
Photo of Martin with an imaginative sketch by journalist Marguerite Martyn of him raising a glass over which are bubbles obscuring "the jaded rich"
Frederick Townsend Martin
Frederick Townsend Martin, ca. 1910-1914
Born6 December 1849
Albany, New York
Died8 March 1914
London, England
EducationAlbany Boys Academy
Alma materAlbany Law School
OccupationWriter
Parent(s)Henry Hull Martin
Anna Townsend
RelativesBradley Martin (brother)

Early life

Martin was born in Albany, New York on December 6, 1849 to Henry Hull Martin (1809–1886) and Anna Townsend (1815–1866).[5] His maternal grandfather was Solomon Townsend, a prominent merchant in Albany, and his siblings were Henry Townsend Martin (d. 1915),[6] Bradley Martin (1841–1913), who married Cornelia Sherman, Howard Townsend Martin, and Alice Townsend. His niece, Bradley's daughter, Cornelia Martin (1877-1961), married William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven (1868–1921).[5][3]

He was educated at the Albany Boys Academy and graduated from the Albany Law School in 1872 and served as a colonel in the New York National Guard, as judge advocate.[1]

Career

At the time of the election U.S. President Harrison, Martin said:

It matters not one iota what political party is in power or what President holds the reins of office. We are not politicians or public thinkers; we are the rich; we own America; we got it, God knows how, but we intend to keep it if we can by throwing all the tremendous weight of our support, our influence, our money, our political connections, our purchased Senators, our hungry Congressmen, our public-speaking demagogues into the scale against any legislature, any political platform, any presidential campaign that threatens the integrity of our estate.[7]

In 1911, he wrote The Passing of the Idle Rich.[8] He would travel to the Bowery Mission in New York City to visit with the homeless.[9] He hosted an annual Christmas dinner for the homeless on the Lower East Side.[3] Martin's writings often criticized the extravagances of the rich - the very circles in which he traveled - and preached that "...where idleness and extravagance creep in decay begins. Nations as well as individuals have to be reminded of the dangers of these evils and they must be faced."[3]

Martin received a large sum of money on the death of his brother, Bradley Martin.[1] Martin was referred to as a successor to Ward McAllister and Harry Lehr as the leader of society in New York.[3] Just prior to his death in 1914, he bought a 10-year lease of 6 Cumberland Place from Gowdy, to install an art collection bequeathed to him by his "intimate friend" Henry Sands.[10] It was Sands intention that both of their collections be kept together and housed in London.[10] After his death, his collection went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.[11]

Personal life

Martin, who did not marry, died on 8 March 1914 at the Hotel Berkeley in London, England of heart failure, his body was returned to America for burial.[3][12] His funeral was held at Christ Church in London on March 11, 1914.[13][4]

Clubs and organizations

Martin was a director of the Metropolitan Trust Company and was a member of a number of social clubs, including the Metropolitan Club, Knickerbocker Club, and Aero Club in New York, the Marlborough Club, St James's Club, Bachelors Club, and Wellington Club of London, the Travelers Club, Automobile Club, and Polo Club of Paris, and the Country Club of Puteaux France.[3]

Publications
  • Martin, Frederick Townsend (1911). The Passing of the Idle Rich. New York. ISBN 9780405069246.
  • Things I Remember. New York. 1913.

References
  1. "Frederick Townsend Martin". Encyclopedia Americana. 1919. Retrieved 2008-12-14. Frederick Townsend Martin (b. 1849 in Albany NY; d. 1914 in London); graduated from Albany Law School; colonel in the New York National Guard; his writings included "The Passing of the Idle Rich" (1911) and "My Personal Experiences of Meeting Snobs" (1911). His older brother Bradley Martin (1841-1913) was a prominent banker.
  2. "New York Society Leader, Author, and Friend of the Poor a Victim of Heart Disease". New York Times. March 9, 1914. Retrieved 2008-12-14. Frederick Townsend Martin died suddenly of heart failure at 2:30 o'clock this morning at the Hotel Berkeley, where he had been staying with his brother Howard T. Martin. The body will be sent to America.
  3. "F. T. Martin Dies Suddenly in London. New York Society Leader, Author, and Friend of the Poor a Victim of Heart Disease". New York Times. 9 March 1914. Retrieved 2 January 2009. Frederick Townsend Martin died suddenly of heart failure at 2:30 oclock this morning at the Hotel Berkeley, where he had been staying with his brother Howard T. Martin. The body will be sent to America.
  4. "FUNERAL IN LONDON OF F. T. MARTIN; Society Leader's Body to be Shipped to the United States To-morrow". The New York Times. March 10, 1914. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  5. Townsend (1865), James C.; Townsend (1871), Hon. Martin I.; Townsend (1875), Charles Hervey; Smith (1904), Hon. Issac Townsend; Townsend (1909, Madme. Giovanni Tagliapietra), Margaret (1909). Townsend--Townshend | 1066-1909 | The History, Genealogy and Alliances of The English and American House of Townsend. New York. p. 97. ISBN 9785870930930. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  6. "HENRY TOWNSEND MARTIN.; Brother of Late Bradley and F. T. Martin Dies in a Sanitarium". The New York Times. August 21, 1915. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  7. Agar, Herbert, The People's Choice, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1933, p. 248
  8. Martin, F. Townsend (June 25, 1911). "NOT SNOBBERY TO GO TO CORONATION"; Author of "The Idle Rich" Comments on the Americans Who Went to the Ceremonies and of Social Conditions at the New Court and Elsewhere Abroad". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  9. "TOWNSEND MARTIN'S LITTLE PARTY IS OFF; The East Side, It Seems, Didn't Want to Rent Him a Hall to Teach It Hygiene. SOCIALIST ORATOR BOLTED So the Germs Will Have to Continue to Flutter Over There -- And Nordica Won't Sing -- Dinner Still On". The New York Times. February 13, 1909. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  10. "LEASES HOUSE IN LONDON.; F.T. Martin to Install Art Collection Bequeathed by Henry Sands". The New York Times. February 7, 1914. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  11. "MARTIN COLLECTION FOR METROPOLITAN; Society Leader Leaves Armor and Engravings to Art Museum Here". The New York Times. March 28, 1914. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  12. "MAY TAX MARTIN ESTATE.; Court of Appeals Dismisses the Executor's Appeal". The New York Times. October 18, 1916. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  13. "MARTIN FUNERAL SIMPLE.; Only About 30 Friends Attend London Church Services". The New York Times. March 11, 1914. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
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