Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau

 
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Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau
Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau
Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau
Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau

Photograph, Sepia - John Martineau

Object number2016.016.02
MediumPaper, Ink
Dimensions7 3/4 × 10 in. (19.7 × 25.4 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
    DescriptionA sepia photograph of John Martineau sitting in front of the first air conditioning unit in Arkansas. In this photograph, Martineau is reading a newspaper in an armchair. The chair features solid wood sides and floral upholstery. Martineau is wearing a dark colored suit with a tie. He is sitting near a large desk with a telephone and a lamp on top. There is a fireplace in the background with two vases and a bowl sitting on the mantel. A large oval mirror is hung above the mantel. The walls are covered in floral wallpaper and feature two framed photographs.

    John Ellis Martineau was born on December 2, 1873 in Clay County, Missouri. He grew up on a farm near Concord, Arkansas, where he began a lifelong friendship with Joseph T. Robinson. After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1896, he moved to Little Rock, Arkansas to serve as principal of the North Little Rock schools and to attend law school at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. Martineau was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1899 and immediately began to practice law. He began his political career after being elected as Pulaski County's state representative in 1902 and 1904. He married Mabel Erwin Pittman Thomas of Des Arc, Arkansas in 1919. Martineau had an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1924, but ran again in 1926. The incumbent, Thomas Jefferson Terral, faced charges of mismanagement when questions were raised about the funding of public roads. Martineau proposed the reorganization of Arkansas' highway system and funding roads through the issue of state bonds. He won a close Democratic primary in August 1926, becoming the first person since Reconstruction to defeat an incumbent Arkansas governor running for a second term. During his time as governor, Martineau helped launch the Arkansas highway system with his innovative source of funding. He also successfully led the relief effort following the disastrous Mississippi River Flood of 1927. However, Martineau only served as governor for one year before he was appointed as a federal judge by President Coolidge. He was sworn in on March 14, 1928 and served on the bench for nine years. His most noteworthy contribution during his term was his efforts at reforming the probation system. Martineau died of influenza on March 6, 1937 and is buried in Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock.
    Status
    Not on view
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