Card, Greeting - John and Mabel Martineau
Object number2016.016.04
DateJanuary 1, 1927
MediumPaper, Ink
Dimensions4 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (11.4 × 14 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
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.
Mabel Thomas Martineau was born in 1871 at Des Arc, Arkansas. On May 1, 1919 she married John Martineau who would become the 28th Governor of Arkansas. During his campaign, Mabel was essential on the trail, often meeting people, distributing literature, and even giving speeches on behalf of her husband. She was described as “a natural social leader.” However, her husband’s term as governor only lasted fourteen months before he resigned to take a federal judgeship and she was unable to take a fairly active role as First Lady. She passed away at her home in Little Rock on November 27, 1952.
Status
Not on view
