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**THIS VERSION PROVIDED FOR SEARCHING/INDEXING ONLY**
A more fully navigable version is available at
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms003064

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Louis Martin
A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Connie L. Cartledge 
2000
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress 
Washington, D.C.
Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress 
Manuscript Division, 2003


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Collection Summary

Title:    Papers of Louis Martin , 1931 - 1998 (bulk 1977 - 1993 ) 
ID No.:    MSS84730 
Creator: Martin, Louis, 1912-1997 
Extent:    4,525 items ; 13 containers ; 5.2 linear feet 
Repository:    Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington,
D.C. 
Abstract:    Civil rights activist, political adviser, newspaper columnist,
and newspaper publisher. Correspondence, memoranda, subject files,
speeches, and writings relating to Martin's civil rights activities, his
journalism career, and his role as an adviser to presidents John F.
Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Jimmy Carter.

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of
person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein. 
Names:
Martin, Louis, 1912- 
Brown, Ronald Harmon, 1941- --Correspondence 
Carter, Jimmy, 1924- 
Carter, Jimmy, 1924- --Correspondence 
Kelly, Sharon Pratt, 1944- --Correspondence 
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973 
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973--Correspondence 
Jordan, Vernon E. (Vernon Eulion), 1935- --Correspondence 
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 --Correspondence 
Mondale, Walter F., 1928- --Correspondence 
Shriver, Sargent, 1915- --Correspondence 
Voorde, Frances M.--Correspondence 
Watson, Jack H., 1938- --Correspondence 
Wise, Phil--Correspondence 
Calmar Communications 
Democratic Party (U.S.) 

Subjects:
African American newspapers 
African American politicians 
African Americans--Civil rights 
African Americans--Politics and government 
Civil rights 
United States--Politics and government--1945-1989 

Occupations:
Political activists
Presidential advisors
Publishers

Administrative Information
Provenance:
The papers of Louis Martin, political adviser, civil rights activist, and
newspaper columnist and publisher, were given to the Library of Congress
in 2000 by his wife, Gertrude Martin.

Transfers:
Photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs
Division where they are identified as part of these papers. A biography of
Martin by Louis Poinsett entitled Walking with Presidents has been
removed from the papers and made available as part of the Manuscript
Division Reading Room's reference collection.

Copyright Status:
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Louis Martin in these papers and
in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved.
Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for further
information.

Preferred Citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: Container number, Louis Martin Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note
Date Event 
1912 , Nov. 18 Born, Shelbyville, Tenn. 
1934  A.B., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 
1936  Reporter, Chicago Defender 
1936 - 1947  Editor and publisher, Michigan Chronicle 
1937  Married Gertrude Scott Martin 
1947 - 1959  Editor-in-chief, Chicago Daily Defender 
1949 - 1952  President, National Newspaper Publishers Association 
1959 - 1960  Editorial advisor, Amalgamated Press, Ltd., Nigeria 
1961 - 1969  Deputy chairman, Democratic National Committee,
Washington, D.C. 
1969 - 1976  Vice president and editorial director, Sengstacke Newspaper
chain, Chicago, Ill. 
1970 - 1979  Chairman, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies,
Washington, D.C. 
1976 - 1978  President, Sengstacke Newspaper chain, Chicago, Ill. 
1978 - 1981  Special assistant to the President of the United States 
1981 - 1987  Assistant vice president of communications, Howard
University, Washington, D.C. 
1987 -ca. 1993  Chairman, Calmar Communications, Inc., Chicago, Ill. 
1997 , Jan. 27 Died, Orange, Calif. 

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Louis Emanuel Martin (1912-1997) span the years
1931-1998 with the bulk of the material dating from 1977 to 1993. Most
of the collection consists of papers documenting Martin's service as special
assistant to President Jimmy Carter and writings, including articles,
newspaper columns, and memoirs. Early material concerns Martin's
activities as adviser and civil rights liaison during the administrations of
presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. While serving as a
presidential adviser and as deputy chairman of the Democratic Committee,
Martin helped to establish African Americans as a political power in the
Democratic Party and encouraged their appointment to policy-making
government positions. The papers are organized in the following series:
Correspondence, Subject File, and Speeches and Writings File. 
The Correspondence series, 1945-1996, consists chiefly of letters
concerning Martin's personal and professional interests. Most of the
correspondence relates to Martin's work as chairman of Calmar
Communications, his interests in politics, and his recollections of the three
presidents whom he served. Only a few letters relate to Martin's early
political activities. Copies of correspondence pertaining to
African-American voters and the presidential election of 1964 are attached
to a letter of 2 May 1986 from the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.
A copy of a letter to Martin of 18 September 1962 from Martin Luther
King, Jr., introduced Donald Louis Anderson as having creative ideas
concerning the possibilities of a liberal Democratic Party in the South
composed of blacks and liberal white voters. An unsigned memorandum
of 4 September 1968 to Joseph Napolitan recommended ways to mobilize
black voters for Hubert H. Humphrey, such as utilizing Jackie Robinson in
a campaign tour against Richard M. Nixon. The series also includes
congratulatory correspondence pertaining to honors bestowed upon
Martin.

The Subject File, 1936-1997, includes correspondence, scheduling files,
and press materials documenting Martin's service as an adviser and liaison
for President Carter to the African-American community. While working
in the White House from 1978-1981, Martin also periodically sent out a
bulletin entitled Fact Sheet reporting on the administration's activities and
accomplishments of interest to the African-American community. The
Subject File also includes oral history interviews relating to Martin's civil
rights activities and his service with three Democratic presidents.
Although Martin was a cofounder of the Joint Center for Political and
Economic Studies, there is no material relating to the founding of that
research organization.

The Speeches and Writings File, 1931-1998, consists mainly of speeches
made by Martin during the Carter administration, Martin's memoirs, and
his newspaper columns. The memoirs provide a detailed account of
Martin's early life, his newspaper career, and his activities as a presidential
adviser and liaison to the African-American community. Photocopies of
the originals of draft two are filed with that draft because they contain
emendations that do not appear on the original manuscript. Martin's
newspaper columns entitled "Up Front" reflect his interest in a variety of
topics including American politics, civil rights, and international events.
Many of Martin's columns in 1959 and 1960 were written while he was a
consultant to Amalgamated Press, Ltd., in Nigeria. Notebooks in the
writings file chronicle Martin's travels and his activities in the Kennedy
and Johnson administrations.

Among the frequent and prominent correspondents in the collection are
Ronald Harmon Brown, Jimmy Carter, Sharon Pratt Kelly, Lyndon B.
Johnson, Vernon E. Jordan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Walter F. Mondale,
Sargent Shriver, Frances M. Voorde, Jack H. Watson, and Phil Wise.

Organization of the Papers
The collection is arranged in three series:

Correspondence, 1945-1996, n.d. 
Subject File, 1936-1997, n.d. 
Speeches and Writings File, 1931-1998, n.d.


April 15, 2004