Don Martin at the New York Herald

Don Martin joined The New York Herald in 1904 as a reporter, serving for a time as city editor, but devoting himself chiefly to the political field. He served as Albany correspondent during the sessions of the Legislature, and he built up a wide circle of acquaintances with public men in Albany and in New York City. Associates in discussing his work declared that Don Martin probably was without a peer in sizing up a political situation for making a forecast, and it was as an expert on politics that he achieved his main reputation.

Don Martin at work
at the New York Herald    

From 1912 he was in charge of the political department of The Herald. In 1912 and 1916 he was in charge of the reporting on the Republican and Democratic conventions at Chicago, Baltimore and St. Louis.

He was in charge of the political straw vote of the Herald for ten years and his success attracted wide attention.  One of his greatest personal triumphs was in the tightly contested presidential election of 1916, when he correctly predicted the re-election of President Wilson over Governor Hughes based on the HERALD’s straw vote, which he personally conducted.

In his personal life he was a man of unusual charm, his natural magnetism bringing to his circle of friends men in all walks of life. He knew and was known to bankers, business men, politicians, national and State legislators, Governors, Presidents, men high in statecraft – in fact, included in the intimacy of his life were almost all of the men of all political parties who lived at that time and had done the big things in this country.

Don Martin numbered among his friends such men as Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, President Wilson and Charles E. Hughes. In October 1916, when Mr. Hughes was travelling through the country in his campaign for the Presidency, his train stopped for a few minutes at Silver Creek, N. Y. Recalling that this was the birthplace of Don Martin, Hughes paid this remarkable tribute to him:  “I am glad to have come to Silver Creek and greet you because of the many pleasant recollections and for another reason. An honest newspaper man is the holiest work of God. And this is Don Martin’s home. I have a great regard for Don Martin and am glad to come to his home town.”

    Don Martin had a genius for friendship. From the cub reporter, whom he was never too busy to help, to Presidents of the United States, all who knew him had a genuine affection for him. When he was about to start for France, Charles E. Hughes, who had formed an attachment for him when he was Governor of New York, gave up an important engagement in order to preside at the dinner that the staff of the New York HERALD gave at the time of his departure, and to present a watch to the departing correspondent on behalf of the members of the New York Herald staff. President Wilson sent Don Martin a personal letter on his coming to Europe.