Martin, Edwin, March 10, 1981

Edwin Martin (May 21, 1908 - January 12, 2002), born in Dayton, OH, was an economist and diplomat. He attended Northwestern University, receiving his bachelor's in 1929. In 1935, Martin became an economist with the Central Statistical Board within the Commerce Department, working there for three and a half years, and then went on to work for the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1938-1940. From 1940 to 1944, Martin was on the War Production Board, becoming the Chief of the Urgency Ratings Division. In 1944 he was recruited to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), where he served as head of the Economic Division of the Office of the Far East Division of Research and Analysis. It was with the OSS that he was sent to Japan to work in the Allied Occupation. He worked in office of the Assistant of State for Far Eastern Affairs and as State Adviser on Economics Affairs, helping with the economic planning for Japan. He remained with the State Department during the Occupation. In 1960, President Eisenhower appointed him Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, and then he worked as the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs under the Kennedy Administration from 1962-64, serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1964, President Johnson appointed Martin as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, which he remained until 1968. He went on to have various influential and distinguished positions dealing with economic development throughout the rest of his career. Edwin Martin passed away in 2002 at the age of 93.