Clarence D. Martin - Legacy

Legacy

Philosophically and politically Martin was a conservative Democrat who, while governor, placed the welfare of the people of the state above party politics. His tenure as governor reflected the sound business and financial practices which guided his entire life. He tempered fiscal conservatism with humanitarian concern for those suffering under the height of the depression. When Martin left office there was still unemployment and economic distress, but the state had weathered the worst years of the depression. One historian records that when Martin left office "the state was solvent, the radical left-wing groups had been kept in check, and there had been no compromise with Socialistic panaceas." (Stewart, Washington, Vol. II, p. 314) Upon his death the Spokesman Review editorialized that "He served the state well throughout eight critical years of its history." (Spokesman Review, August 13, 1955, p. 4) In the opinion of many, he was the best governor the state had ever had. (Miles, Charles and O. b. Sperlin. Building a State, Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1940, p. 141; Stewart, Washington, Vol. II, p. 314).