Edward Sanford Martin (1856-1939) - Find a Grave Memorial

Writer, Humorist, Editor. A founder of "The Harvard Lampoon" and co-founder and first editor of the original "Life" magazine, a position he held for 45 years, Martin was also a regular contributor to "Harper's Monthly" from 1920 to 1935, and the author of several volumes of essays. The youngest son of a large and prominent New York family, he was raised in the stimulating atmosphere of Willowbrook, an estate near Auburn, where his parents and great uncle, a former governor of the state, regularly hosted many of the great figures of the 19th Century. The writer Washington Irving, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, and Myles Keogh of Little Big Horn fame were among the family's close friends, and his brothers-in-law included Generals Emory Upton, A.J. Alexander, and Medal of Honor winner Wilber Wilder. While a student at Harvard University Martin was instrumental in founding the school's famed satirical review, "The Harvard Lampoon". He subsequently earned a law degree and was admitted to the bar, but never practiced his original profession. The urbane wit and eloquence which would have served him well in the courtroom instead launched his long and successful literary career, during which he was the recipient of numerous accolades. The British statesman David Lloyd George called him "the greatest editorial writer" of his era, and he was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government for his writings during World War I. Widowed in 1917 by the death of his wife, the former Julia Whitney, he found renewed purpose in his work and continued to write until a hip fracture in 1938 caused his health to rapidly decline. He died in New York City's Orthopedic Hospital at the age of 83.

Bio by: Nikita Barlow