Senator John L. Martin

Born in Eagle Lake, Maine, on June 5, 1941, John L. Martin attended local schools and received his B.A. in History and Government from the University of Maine at Orono in 1963 and did advanced graduate study in Political Science at the University of Maine at Orono.

The Aroostook Democrat, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1964, served an unprecedented ten terms as Speaker of the House. Most recently, John was reelected to his second term in the State Senate, where he serves as Chair of the Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Prior to becoming Speaker, he had served on the Joint Standing Committees on Taxation, State Government, and Appropriations and Financial Affairs. He was elected Minority Floor Leader in 1971 and served in that position until becoming Speaker in 1975. He served as the Chair of the Legislative Council in 1989-90.

An assistant professor of Political Science and Government at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and a member of the New England Political Science Association and the American Academy of Political Science, John also served as President of the National Conference of State Legislatures from 1990-1991. He was Chairman of the State-Federal Assembly of NCSL in 1985-86, Vice Chair of NCSL's Budget, Fiscal & Rules Committee in 1986-87, and Chair of the Task Force on Reapportionment in 1987-1988.

In addition, he was a member of the Board of the Foundation for State Legislatures and was Vice Chair of the Regional Executive Committee of the Democratic State Legislative Leaders Association. In 1990, he was elected Chair of the State Democratic Leaders Association and served on both the Democratic National Committee and the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee. He was President of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation from 1979 to 1982 and Chairman of the New England Caucus of State Legislatures in 1982 and 1983.

From 1970-72 he was Chairman of the Land Use Regulation Commission and was also Chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Commission in 1969. John Martin's other activities include serving as Treasurer of Northern Maine General Hospital, a non-profit organization which operates the Eagle Lake Nursing Home, the Eagle Lake Boarding Home. He is also the president of Ambulance Services Inc, as well as President of Fish Ruix Health Centers.