Francis Marion Martin

Francis Marion Martin (April 1, 1830 – June 11, 1903) was an American clerk, rancher, and politician who served as the 14th lieutenant governor of Texas from 1883 to 1885. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Texas Senate and the Confederate States Army. Martin was a Populist and a Prohibitionist who drew support from various parties.

Francis Marion Martin was born in Livingston County, Kentucky to James and Elizabeth (née Cofield) Martin on April 1, 1830. They died while he was young, and Martin was raised by William Northern Hodge. In 1850, Martin married Hodge's daughter, eventually having seven children with her. In 1886, Martin used his popularity with the prohibitionists, Knights of Labor, and Farmer's Alliance to campaign for governor, but lost the convention to Sul Ross at which point he left the Democratic party. Martin had a couple more campaigns for statewide office in 1892 and 1894 as the Populist Party's candidate for lieutenant governor, but he again was unsuccessful.

In his later life, he served as mayor of Cleburne, Texas. Martin died on June 11, 1903, and was buried in Corsicana, Texas.