Martin H. Glynn
Glynn in 1910
40th Governor of New York
In office October 17, 1913 – December 31, 1914
Lieutenant	Robert F. Wagner (acting)
Preceded by	William Sulzer
Succeeded by	Charles S. Whitman
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office January 1, 1913 – October 17, 1913
Governor	William Sulzer
Preceded by	Thomas F. Conway
Succeeded by	Robert F. Wagner (acting)
39thComptroller of New York
In office January 1, 1907 – December 31, 1908
Governor	Charles Evans Hughes
Preceded by	William C. Wilson
Succeeded by	Charles H. Gaus
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's20th district
In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901
Preceded by	George N. Southwick
Succeeded by	George N. Southwick
Personal details
Born	Martin Henry Glynn (1871-09-27)September 27, 1871 Valatie, New York, U.S.
Died	December 14, 1924(1924-12-14) (aged 53) Albany, New York, U.S.
Resting place	St. Agnes Cemetery,Menands, New York
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary McGrane
Education	Fordham University (BA) Union University, New York (LLB)
Signature

Martin Henry Glynn (September 27, 1871 – December 14, 1924) was an American politician. He was the 40thgovernor of New York from 1913 to 1914, the firstIrish AmericanRoman Catholic head of government of what was then the most populated state of the United States. A Democrat, he signed a number of important reforms,^[1] including the direct primary and labor laws.

Glynn was born inKinderhook, New York and grew up inValatie, one of Kinderhook's villages.^[2] He was the son of Martin Glynn (son of Martin Glynn and Catherine de Burke) and Ann Scanlon, who were both born in Ireland.

He graduated fromFordham University in 1894,^[3] then studied atAlbany Law School ofUnion University, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1897. From 1896 on, he wrote for theAlbany Times-Union daily newspaper, becoming eventually its editor, publisher and owner. In 1898, Fordham awarded Glynn thehonorary degree ofMaster of Arts.^[4] Over the course of his career, Glynn received honoraryLL.D. degrees from Fordham,Syracuse,Georgetown, andUnion Universities.^[4]

Glynn was elected as aDemocrat to the56th United States Congress, and served from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1901. When he took his seat at age 26, Glynn was the youngest member of the House. He wasNew York State Comptroller from 1907 to 1908, elected in1906, but defeated for re-election in1908 by RepublicanCharles H. Gaus.

At theNew York state election of 1912, Glynn was the running mate of the successful Democratic candidate for Governor,William Sulzer. Glynn was sworn in asLieutenant Governor of New York on January 1. Following friction with the dominantTammany Hall faction, Sulzer was impeached and in August 1913, Glynn was appointed Acting Governor. On October 17, following Sulzer's formal removal from office, Glynn was sworn in as Governor. He was the first Catholic Governor of New York and showed an interest in Irish-American affairs. However, Glynn was forced to manage conflict in his own party between Tammany Hall and reformers/progressives led by Sulzer, who became a critic of Glynn's administration. After a year in office Glynn was defeated at the1914 election, by the Republican candidate,Charles S. Whitman. Sulzer was later active in theProgressive Party. Glynn was active in theprogressive movement. David Sarasohn calls him "an able and progressive governor" who signed numerous reforms.^[5]

Glynn was a delegate to the1916 and1924 Democratic National Conventions. As the keynote speaker at the 1916 National Democratic Convention, Glynn delivered one of his most famous speeches, praising the accomplishments of President Woodrow Wilson and the platform of the Democratic Party.

Glynn's article "The Crucifixion of Jews Must Stop!" was published in the October 31, 1919, issue ofThe American Hebrew; in it he lamented the poor conditions for European Jews afterWorld War I. Glynn referred to these conditions as a potential "holocaust" and asserted that "six million Jewish men and women are starving across the seas".^[6][7] The figure of six million, which is also the generally accepted number of Jews who perished inThe Holocaust ofWorld War II has been exploited byHolocaust deniers.^[8] However, historianRobert N. Proctor says it "is simply a remarkable coincidence and nothing more."^[9]

He committed suicide by gunshot in 1924, after having suffered throughout his adult life from chronic back pain caused by a spinal injury.^[2] Though the cause of death was listed on his death certificate, the local media reported that Glynn died of heart trouble.^[10] The true story of his death was publicized in Dominick Lizzi's 1994 biography.^[11][12] He was buried atSt. Agnes Cemetery inMenands, New York.^[13]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMartin H. Glynn.

• Glynn Ill in Germany, May Decline Office; Comptroller-elect Suffering from Injury to His Spine, New York Times, November 9, 1906
• Martin H. Glynn Biography at Valatie, New York Library
• Martin H. Glynn at Political Graveyard (gives as birthplaceKinderhook, the town which includes the Village of Valatie)
• Martin Henry Glynn Papers, 1913-1924 at theNew York State Library

• 1871 births
• 1924 suicides
• Albany Law School alumni
• American newspaper editors
• American people of Irish descent
• American politicians who died by suicide
• Burials at St. Agnes Cemetery
• Democratic Party United States representatives from New York (state)
• Democratic Party governors of New York (state)
• Fordham University alumni
• Journalists from New York (state)
• Lieutenant governors of New York (state)
• New York state comptrollers
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• People from Columbia County, New York
• Progressive Era in the United States
• Suicides in New York (state)
• Lawyers from Albany, New York
• Catholics from New York (state)
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 1924 deaths
• Suicides in the United States
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