George W. Martin, long secretary of the State Historical Society, an old newspaper man and state printer, was born in Blair County, Pennsylvania, June 30, 1841. He learned the printer’s trade in his native town and in Philadelphia, and in April, 1857, accompanied his parents to the Territory of Kansas, Young Martin worked in printing offices at Lecompton until the fall of 1859 and in 1861 became connected with the Junction City Union, which he edited for several years. Mr. Martin was postmaster at Junction City several months in 1865 and register of the land office in 1865-66; assessor of internal revenue in 1867-68; register of the land office a second term; state printer in 1873-81; member of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1883, and mayor of Junction City in 1883-85. He moved to Kansas City, Kansas, in July, 1888, where he published the Gazette until December, 1899, when he was elected secretary of the State Historical Society, which he held at the time of his death.
