sentences:  He was the brother of John Preston Martin.Born near Jonesville, Virginia, Martin attended the public schools as a child and went on to attend Emory and Henry College from 1845 to 1848.He engaged in mercantile pursuits in Jonesville before being elected an Independent Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1858, serving from 1859 to 1861, being unsuccessful for reelection in 1860.