Martin Welker | |
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| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio | |
| In office November 25, 1873 – June 1, 1889 | |
| Appointed by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Charles Taylor Sherman |
| Succeeded by | Augustus J. Ricks |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's14th district | |
| In office March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | George Bliss |
| Succeeded by | James Monroe |
| 4th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 11, 1858 – January 9, 1860 | |
| Governor | Salmon P. Chase |
| Preceded by | Thomas H. Ford |
| Succeeded by | Robert C. Kirk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Martin Welker (1819-04-25)April 25, 1819 Knox County, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 15, 1902(1902-03-15) (aged 82) Wooster, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Wooster Cemetery Wooster, Ohio |
| Party | Whig Republican |
| Education | read law |
| Signature |  |
Martin Welker (April 25, 1819 – March 15, 1902) was an American politician and judge who was aU.S. representative fromOhio for three terms from 1865 to 1871 and adistrict judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio from 1873 to 1889.
Welker was born on April 25, 1819, inKnox County,Ohio.[1] His father was an immigrant from theGerman Confederation and an earlyEuropean pioneer in Ohio.[2] Welker left the family farm at the age of 14 to take a job as a clerk in a store inMillersburg, Ohio.[3] He attended the common schools andread law in 1840.[1] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Millersburg from 1840 to 1846.[1] He was clerk of theHolmes County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas from 1846 to 1851.[1] In 1848, Welker was theWhig nominee for the31st United States Congress, but lost in the largelyDemocratic district.[4] In 1850, he again was offered the nomination, but declined it.[4] He resumed private practice in Millersburg from 1851 to 1852.[1] He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the33rd United States Congress in 1852.[5] He was a Judge of theOhio Court of Common Pleas for the Sixth Judicial District from 1852 to 1857.[1] He resumed private practice inWooster, Ohio in 1857.[1] He was elected the fourthlieutenant governor of Ohio and president of theOhio Senate in the Fifty-third General Assembly,[6][7] serving from 1857 to 1858,[1] elected on the ticket withGovernor of OhioSalmon P. Chase.[5] He was a Colonel in theUnited States Army from 1861 to 1865, during theAmerican Civil War.[1]
With the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, on May 14, 1861, Welker was appointed judge-advocate of the second brigade of theOhio Volunteer Militia at rank of major and served with GeneralJacob Dolson Cox.[4][5] Welker was appointed as anaide-de-camp, with rank ofcolonel to the Governor of Ohio on August 10, 1861.[5] He then served asJudge Advocate General of the State of Ohio for the balance of 1861 and was the superintendent of drafting under GovernorDavid Tod, commencing August 15, 1862.[5] He served as assistantadjutant general in 1862.[5] Welker enlisted on February 16, 1865 in theUnion Army as aprivate in Company I,188th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.[5] He was mustered out September 21, 1865.[5]
Welker was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1862 to the38th United States Congress.[8][5] He was elected as aRepublican fromOhio's 14th congressional district to theUnited States House of Representatives of the39th,40th and41st United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1871.[9][10][11][5] He was not a candidate for renomination to the42nd United States Congress in 1870.[5]
Welker received arecess appointment from PresidentUlysses S. Grant on November 25, 1873, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio vacated by JudgeCharles Taylor Sherman.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Grant on December 2, 1873.[1] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 8, 1873, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on June 1, 1889, due to his retirement.[1]
Concurrent with his federal judicial service, Welker was a Professor of political science and international law at theCollege of Wooster from 1873 to 1890.[1] He also served as President of the Wooster National Bank, Vice President of theWayne County Fair Board, and member of theGrand Army of the Republic.[4]
Welker died on March 15, 1902, in Wooster.[1] He was interred in Wooster Cemetery.[5]
Welker married Maria Armour of Millersburg on March 4, 1841. After she died, he married Flora Uhl ofCleveland, Ohio, on January 16, 1896.[12]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Ohio 1858–1860 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 14th congressional district 1865–1871 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio 1873–1889 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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