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Marty Martínez
Marty Martínez
Member of the; U.S. House of Representatives; from California
	In office; July 13, 1982 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	George E. Danielson
Succeeded by	Hilda Solis
Constituency	30th district (1982–93); 31st district (1993–2001)
Member of the California State Assembly; from the 59th district
	In office; December 1, 1980 - July 15, 1982
Preceded by	Jack R. Fenton
Succeeded by	Charles Calderon
Personal details
Born	February 14, 1929; Walsenburg, Colorado, U.S.
Died	October 15, 2011 (aged 82); Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican (Before 1974, 2000–2011); Democratic (1974–2000)
Children	Diane Martinez (daughter)
Education	Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Military service
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Rank	Private first class
Battles/wars	World War II

Matthew Gilbert "Marty" Martínez (February 14, 1929 – October 15, 2011)^[1] was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from California's 30th congressional district from 1982 to 1993 and California's 31st congressional district from 1993 to 2001, both as a member of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Martínez switched parties to become a Republican after being defeated in a 2000 primary.

Early life

Martínez's family moved to Los Angeles when he was young, and he attended public schools in Los Angeles. In 1949 he graduated from Roosevelt High School. From 1947 to 1950 he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, achieving the rank of private first class. In 1956 he received a certificate of competence from the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.^[2]

For the next fifteen years he owned and operated a custom furniture upholstery company and worked as a building contractor.

Political career

He began his political career in 1971 when he became a member of the Monterey Park Planning Commission, and served until 1974 when he was elected to the Monterey Park City Council. He served until 1980, including two terms as mayor in 1974 and 1980.

State assembly

In 1980, Martínez defeated incumbent Jack R. Fenton in the Democratic primary election in California's 59th State Assembly district. He was elected to the California State Assembly with no major-party opponent.^[3]

Congress

In 1982 George E. Danielson left the U.S. House of Representatives to take the bench. Martínez won the special election to succeed him, and was reelected nine times by varying margins.

In his first term in Congress he was assigned to the Education and Labor Committee. In the 99th Congress (1985–87) he chaired the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities. In 1991, he became the Chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee. In 1992, Martínez was named to the Foreign Affairs Committee, and served on the Subcommittee on International Security, International Organizations and Human Rights.

Defeat

In 2000, Martínez was defeated in the Democratic primary by liberal State Senator Hilda Solis 62% to 29%. She charged that he was out of touch with his district when he voted to ban partial-birth abortion and opposed gun control. (He was both Roman Catholic and a member of the National Rifle Association of America.)^[2] While he had been a reliably Democratic vote on most issues throughout his congressional career, after his primary loss Martínez began to vote overwhelmingly with Republicans. On July 27, 2000, Martínez switched to the Republican Party, arguing that the Democrats had abandoned him. There was no Republican candidate on the ballot in the district for the 2000 election, and Martínez declined to attempt a write-in candidacy, though he remained critical of Solis and promised to stay active in the Republican party.^[4] His term in Congress ended on January 3, 2001, at the end of the 106th Congress.

Family

Martínez was married to Elvira Yorba Martinez, with whom he had five children: Matthew Adrian, Michael Gilbert, Diane, Susan, and Carol Ann. His daughter, Diane Martínez, served in the State Assembly from 1992 to 1998.

Death

On October 15, 2011, Martínez died at his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia.^[5]^[6]^[7] He had suffered from congestive heart failure.^[8]

Memberships

San Gabriel Valley YMCA board of directors
Hispanic American Democrats
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
Communications Workers of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars
American Legion
Latin Business Association
Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce
Navy League (director)
Rotary International^[9]

References

^ "Matthew G. 'Marty' Martinez dies at 82; former congressman". 21 October 2011 – via LA Times.
^ ^a ^b Simon, Richard; Antonio Olivo (2000-02-23). "Two Incumbent Congressmen Facing Tough Challenges". Los Angeles Times. p. B-1. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
^ Vassar, Alex; Shane Meyers. "11-04-1980 Election". JoinCalifornia. One Voter Project. Archived from the original on 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
^ Simon, Richard (July 27, 2000). "Martinez Switches to GOP in His Final Term". The Los Angeles Times.
^ "Matthew G. 'Marty' Martinez dies at 82; former congressman". Los Angeles Times. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011.
^ "Former area Congressman Matthew 'Marty' Martinez dead at 82". Pasadena Star-News. October 18, 2011. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
^ Hevesi, Dennis (October 19, 2011). "Matthew G. Martinez, Ex-Democratic Lawmaker, Dies at 82". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011.
^ Shapiro, T. Rees (October 20, 2011). "Nine-term California congressman Matthew G. Martinez dies at 82". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
^ "Matthew Gilbert Martinez." Marquis Who's Who TM. Marquis Who's Who, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC. (Fee) Document Number: K2013018942

External links

United States Congress. "Matthew G. Martínez (id: M000206)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Biography from the Library of Congress
Appearances on C-SPAN
Matthew G. Martínez at Find a Grave
Join California Matthew G. Martinez

California Assembly
Preceded by Jack R. Fenton	Member of the California Assembly from the 59th district December 1, 1980 - July 15, 1982	Succeeded by Charles Calderon
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by George E. Danielson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 30th congressional district 1982–1993	Succeeded by Xavier Becerra
Preceded by Bill Richardson	Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus 1985–1986	Succeeded by Esteban Edward Torres
Preceded by Mervyn M. Dymally	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 31st congressional district 1993–2001	Succeeded by Hilda Solis