Biography

Though he has gone down in state history as one of the bad guys, the story of Josiah Martin is complicated. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, to English aristocrats with extensive landholdings in the Caribbean. After giving the law a try, he joined the military. He served for 13 years, including in Canada, and rose to lieutenant colonel, marrying a New York State cousin in the meantime. Then his brother, a member of Parliament, arranged for him to become governor of the Province of North Carolina after William Tryon. Martin tried to work with colonial assembly leaders, but Tryon left him a mess. Tryon