Historian James Kirby Martin died on December 31, 2024, he was 81. As a Revolutionary War historian, he was very active in promoting New York State’s 18th century history. He was also engaged with New York State history organizations like the Fort Plain Museum, Fort Ticonderoga, and as a consultant to the Oneida Indian Nation.
Shortly before Jim was born on May 26, 1943, in Akron, Ohio, the US Army sent his father to Europe where he served in General George S. Patton’s Third Army. In a defining moment, one of his earliest memories of life came at the age of three when his father returned home and they met for the first time.
Martin grew up in Bath Township, Ohio, attended Revere High School and then Hiram College, where he earned membership in Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in United States History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Martin taught at Rutgers University for eleven years, eventually serving briefly as Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1980, he moved with his family to Texas, where he taught for more than thirty years at the University of Houston. He finished his teaching career at UH as the Hugh Roy and Lilli Cranz Cullen University Professor of History.
In 2013-2014, Jim held the James Rees Senior Research Fellowship at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, located at Mount Vernon, Virginia. During the spring semester of 2016, he taught at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, serving as the Mark W. Clark Distinguished Visiting Professor of History. During the 2017-2018 academic year, he served as the Charles Boal Ewing Visiting Professor of Military History at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
He was a prolific and award-winning writer. He authored, co-authored, and edited twelve books and countless scholarly articles. His works include Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered (2000); Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution (2007); A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789; Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin; Insurrection: The American Revolution and Its Meaning; Drinking in America: A History, 1620-1980; Men in Rebellion: Higher Governmental Leaders and the Coming of the American Revolution; Citizen Soldier: The Revolutionary War Journal of Joseph Bloomfield; and Surviving Dresden.
Jim Martin held attendees to his speaking engagements in rapt attention. He presented to a variety of institutions and at conferences, including the Army War College, the Naval War College, West Point, Marist College, Hiram College, Mount Vernon Ladies Association, the Society of the Cincinnati, Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, and at annual conference gatherings such as those held by America’s History, LLC, in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Fort Plain Museum, among many others. In addition to presenting at Sons of the American Revolution meetings, he was deeply proud to be a member of that organization.
“What Jim meant to the museum, there are not enough words for,” said Brian Mack of the Fort Plain Museum. “Jim was a renown historian and author who was very generous with his time, dedication, expertise and knowledge, especially when it came to the museum.”
Martin was busy in “retirement.” He served on the Fort Ticonderoga Association Board of Trustees and the Fort Plain Museum Board of Trustees. He was also active as a historian consultant to the Oneida Indian Nation of New York.
He was frequently interviewed for programming on the History Channel and Fox Nation. He co-wrote the feature-length film Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (and made his acting debut as Moses Hazen). He served as Executive Producer for the film documentary 231 Days, which chronicles the 1978 abduction of Christian missionary Herb Gregg. He leaves behind an untold number of works in progress and unfinished film, television, and written projects.
A memorial service celebrating Jim Kirby Martin’s life will be held January 18th in Houston, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in James Kirby Martin’s memory to the American Battlefield Trust which seeks to preserve hallowed ground for posterity or to Gracewood which provides home, hope and healing to single mothers.
Photo of Jim Kirby Martin speaking about his book about the Oneidas at Fort Plain’s first Conference in 2015 (courtesy Fort Plain Museum).
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