Fred J. Martin
1904 – 1972

Inducted June 22, 1996

A 1925 graduate of the University of Montana’s School of Journalism, Fred J. Martin began his newspaper career at the Butte Daily Post, working in the fading shadow of J.H. Durston, the legendary New York editor who was Marcus Daly’s journalistic sword during the War of the Copper Kings. After stints at the Helena Independent and the Great Falls Leader, where he worked for Joseph Kinsey Howard and helped create the Great Falls Newspaper Guild, Martin eventually bought the weekly Park County News, which he published for more than 20 years until its sale to the Star Publishing Co.

Martin’s political career began at the onset of the Great Depression, when he lost a sales job in San Francisco. A job offer from the Great Falls Tribune brought him back to Montana in 1930, but he left the paper shortly thereafter to become campaign secretary for Democratic Sen. Thomas J. Walsh, then at the height of his fame for exposing the Teapot Dome Scandal. Walsh won 53 of the state’s 56 counties, and Martin was hooked on politics and public service.

Between newspaper jobs and often in addition to them, Martin was was secretary-treasurer of the Great Falls Trades and Labor Assembly, vice chairman of the Great Falls Housing Authority, trustee of the Great Falls Community Welfare Association and deputy administrator of the U.S. Treasury’s savings bond program in Montana, which led the nation in per capita purchase of war bonds during World War II.

After the war, in which he served as a U.S.-based Marine officer, and after his purchase of the Park County News, Martin re-entered politics, this time as campaign manager for Republican J. Hugo Aronson’s successful 1952 gubernatorial campaign. Martin served as Aronson’s executive secretary until 1955. In 1960, Martin ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate, but remained active in state and local politics. He was elected president of the Montana Press Association in 1961.

Martin’s experiences with “Anaconda journalism,” unionism and with Lee Enterprises, which had refused to sell him the Livingston Enterprise, made him a strong critic of concentrated power in journalism and in politics. In 1967, Martin testified before Congress against exempting newspapers from anti-trust legislation, fearing that large newspaper chains could stifle competition by effectively squeezing upstart publications from the market.

In 1971 he was elected to Montana’s constitutional convention. There he made what he considered his most important contribution – helping to create Montana’s 1972 Constitution. Martin fought to break up partisan caucuses and argued for a strong “right to know” provision. He was Park County’s sole delegate to the constitutional convention and a member of the convention’s executive and public information committees.

He spent the last two years of his life as editor of both the Park County News and the Livingston Enterprise.

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