John Biddulph Martin

Portrait of John Biddulph Martin (1886).

John Biddulph Martin (1841-1897) was an English banker and statistician.

Early life[edit]

Martin was born on the 10th of June 1841, in Eaton Square, London, the second son of Robert Martin, of Overbury Court, Tewkesbury. He was educated at Harrow School and Exeter College, Oxford, graduating from the latter in 1862.^[1]^[2]

Banking career[edit]

Martin worked for the family business of Martins Bank from 1864.^[3]^[2]

Publications[edit]

His paper on "Our Gold Coinage", 1882, an able statistical inquiry into its defective condition at the time, with extremely careful statements showing the depreciation of the coinage from 1817, the date when UK gold coinage was resumed, was of great service in promoting the late 19th century reform of the gold currency.

This paper appeared in the Journal of the Bankers' Institute, to which, as well as to the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, he was a frequent and valued contributor. He was President of the last-named Society at the time of his death.^[3] His article on "The Evolution of our Banking System" in the Economic Journal for 1891 is a very able sketch of the growth of the business, written as it only could have been by a man who had an accurate knowledge both of the history of the past and of the practice of present times.^[3]

The most important work by John Biddulph Martin was "The Grasshopper" in Lombard Street, a history of Martins Bank. The bank was at one time the property of Sir Thomas Gresham, whose crest, the Grasshopper, the name commemorates.^[3]

Sportsman[edit]

Martin played football for Wanderers F.C. between 1865 and 1870.^[4] He played for "London" in the historic London v Sheffield football match of 1866, scoring a goal and a touch down.^[5]^[6] At the time of his death, he was president of the London Athletic Club.^[2]

Family[edit]

Martin's elder brother, Richard B. Martin, was a Member of Parliament for Droitwich from 1892 to 1906.^[1] In 1883, Martin married American suffragist Victoria Woodhull.

Death[edit]

Martin died of pneumonia on the 20th of March, 1897, at Las Palmas, Canary Islands.^[1] He was survived by his wife Victoria.

Works[edit]

Martin, John Biddulph (1874-06-01). "The Elections of 1868 and 1874". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 37 (2): 193–230. doi:10.2307/2338721. JSTOR 2338721.
Martin, John Biddulph (1879-09-01). "On Some Effects of a Crisis on the Banking Interest". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 42 (3): 663–708. doi:10.2307/2339053. JSTOR 2339053.
Martin, John Biddulph (1882). "Our Gold Coinage: an Inquiry into its Present Defective Condition, with a View to its Reform". Journal of the Institute of Bankers. 3 (4): 297–346.
Martin, John Biddulph (1884-03-01). "Electoral Statistics: A Review of the Working of our Representative System from 1832-1881, in view of Prospective Changes Therein". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 47 (1): 75–124. doi:10.2307/2979212. JSTOR 2979212.
Martin, John Biddulph (1884-04-01). "Seigneuriage and Mint Charges". Journal of the Institute of Bankers. 5 (4): 171–186.
Martin, John Biddulph (1884-09-01). "Media of Exchange: Being Some Notes on the Precious Metals and Their Equivalents". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 47 (3): 485–495. doi:10.2307/2979251. JSTOR 2979251.
Martin, John Biddulph (1886-12-01). ""Economic Science and Statistics." The Address of the President of Section F of the British Association, at the Fifty-Sixth Meeting, Held at Birmingham, in September, 1886". Journal of the Statistical Society of London. 49 (4): 736–754. doi:10.2307/2979166. JSTOR 2979166.
Martin, John Biddulph (1887-06-25). "Hospital Sunday Fund". The British Medical Journal. 1 (1381): 1349. JSTOR 20212090.
Martin, John Biddulph (1891-09-01). "The Evolution of our Banking System". The Economic Journal. 1 (3): 539–544. doi:10.2307/2956120. JSTOR 2956120.
Martin, John Biddulph (1892). "The Grasshopper" in Lombard Street. London: Leadenhall Press.
Martin, John Biddulph (1896-12-01). "On Some Developments of Statistical Research and Methods During Recent Years. The Inaugural Address of John Biddulph Martin, Esq., M.A., President of the Royal Statistical Society. Session 1896-97. Delivered 17th November, 1896". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 59 (4): 579–628. doi:10.2307/2979899. JSTOR 2979899.

Notes[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c Rawson, Rawson W. (1897). "John Biddulph Martin M.A.". Bulletin de l'Institut International de Statistique. Rome: Imprimerie Nationale. x (2): 155–157. hdl:2027/osu.32435063002018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Mr John Biddulph Martin, M.A.". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 60 (2): 434. 1897-06-01. JSTOR 2979802.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Palgrave, Robert Harry Inglis (1910). Dictionary of Political Economy. London: Macmillan and Co. pp. 753–754.
^ Cavallini, Rob (2005). The Wanderers - Five Times F.A. Cup Winners. Worcester Park, Surrey: Dog N Duck Publications. p. 91. ISBN 9780955049606.
^ "Sheffield v. London". Supplement to the Sporting Life: 2. 1866-04-07.
^ n.a. [Geoffrey Green] (1953). History of the Football Association. London: Naldrett Press. p. 42.

External links[edit]

Media related to John Biddulph Martin at Wikimedia Commons

[rawson-1] Rawson, Rawson W. (1897). "John Biddulph Martin M.A.". Bulletin de l'Institut International de Statistique. Rome: Imprimerie Nationale. x (2): 155–157. hdl:2027/osu.32435063002018.

[jrss-2] "Mr John Biddulph Martin, M.A.". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 60 (2): 434. 1897-06-01. JSTOR 2979802.

[palgrave-3] Palgrave, Robert Harry Inglis (1910). Dictionary of Political Economy. London: Macmillan and Co. pp. 753–754.

[4] Cavallini, Rob (2005). The Wanderers - Five Times F.A. Cup Winners. Worcester Park, Surrey: Dog N Duck Publications. p. 91. ISBN 9780955049606.

[5] "Sheffield v. London". Supplement to the Sporting Life: 2. 1866-04-07.

[6] .a. [Geoffrey Green] (1953). History of the Football Association. London: Naldrett Press. p. 42.

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v t e Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society
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20th century	1902–1904 Patrick George Craigie 1904–1905 Sir Francis Powell, Bt 1905–1906 The Earl of Onslow 1906–1907 Richard Martin 1907–1909 Sir Charles Dilke, Bt 1909–1910 Jervoise Athelstane Baines 1910–1912 Lord George Hamilton 1912–1914 Francis Ysidro Edgeworth 1914–1915 The Lord Welby 1915–1916 Lord George Hamilton 1916–1918 Bernard Mallet, Registrar General 1918–1920 Herbert Samuel 1920–1922 R. Henry Rew 1922–1924 The Lord Emmott 1924–1926 Udny Yule 1926–1928 The Viscount D'Abernon 1928–1930 A. William Flux 1930–1932 Sir Josiah Stamp 1932–1934 The Lord Meston 1934–1936 Major Greenwood 1936–1938 The Lord Kennet 1938–1940 Arthur Lyon Bowley 1940–1941 Henry William Macrosty 1941 Hector Leak 1941–1943 William Beveridge 1943–1945 Charles Ernest Snow 1945–1947 The Lord Woolton 1947–1949 David Heron 1949–1950 Sir Geoffrey Heyworth 1950–1952 Austin Bradford Hill 1952–1954 Ronald Fisher 1954–1955 The Lord Piercy 1955–1957 Egon Pearson 1957–1959 Harry Campion 1959–1960 Hugh Beaver 1960–1962 Maurice Kendall 1962–1964 Joseph Oscar Irwin 1964–1965 Sir Paul Chambers 1965–1966 L. H. C. Tippett 1966–1967 M. S. Bartlett 1967–1968 Frank Yates 1968–1969 Arthur Cockfield 1969–1970 R. G. D. Allen 1970–1971 Bernard Benjamin 1971–1972 George Alfred Barnard 1972–1973 Harold Wilson 1973–1974 D. J. Finney 1974–1975 Henry Daniels 1975–1977 Stella Cunliffe 1977–1978 Henry Wynn 1978–1980 Sir Claus Moser 1980–1982 David Cox 1982–1984 Peter Armitage 1984–1985 Walter Bodmer 1985–1986 John Nelder 1986–1987 James Durbin 1987–1989 John Kingman 1989–1991 Peter G. Moore 1991–1993 T. M. F. Smith 1993–1995 D. J. Bartholomew 1995–1997 Adrian Smith 1997–1999 R. N. Curnow 1999–2001 Denise Lievesley
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