I met James Kirby Martin once. We both spoke at the Fort Ticonderoga Seminar on the American Revolution in 2009. I did not know him well, but he was always kind to me following that meeting and I have learned a lot from his work on the American Revolution. As I type this, I am looking at my bookshelf and seeing copies of A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic (co-authored with Mark Lender), Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin, and Citizen Soldier: The Revolutionary War Journal of Joseph Bloomfield.
Here is Martin’s obituary:
Dr. James Kirby Martin entered into eternal rest on December 31, 2024. No obituary could possibly do justice to Jim’s remarkable life, his accomplishments, and his legacy. He deserves a biography.
Jim was born on May 26, 1943, in Akron, Ohio to Dorothy Garrett Martin and Paul Elmo Martin. Shortly before Jim was born, the Army sent his father to Europe where he served in General George S. Patton’s Third Army. In a defining moment, one of Jim’s earliest memories of life came at the age of three when his father returned home and they met for the first time.
Jim grew up in Bath Township, Ohio, and attended Revere High School. He attended 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.
During Jim’s freshman year in college, his brother, Fred, introduced him to a sophomore named Karen Wierwille. From this one moment, a lifelong partnership of love and respect blossomed. Karen and Jim were married on August 7, 1965, in New Knoxville, Ohio.
Jim taught at Rutgers University for eleven years. He moved through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Professor. He also served briefly as Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1980, Jim 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.
Jim 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; Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution; 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. He greatly enjoyed the collaboration with and camaraderie of his professional colleagues, including Mark Lender, David Preston, Joseph Glatthaar, Robert Burris, David Oshinsky, and so many others.
Jim loved speaking engagements and talking about history. Audiences loved him in return. He could hold attendees in rapt attention as he made history come alive. He treasured the many opportunities to present 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 in upstate New York, 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.
Jim was even busier 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.
Owing to his years at the University of Houston, Jim bled Cougar Red and greatly enjoyed UH athletics. He and his colleague, John Hart, were fixtures in the stands at football and basketball games. Jim served as an academic liaison to the athletic department during the 1990s. Fittingly, his last outing before falling ill was to sit courtside with his wife, daughter, and grandson at a UH men’s basketball game.
Jim was an avid golfer. He enjoyed annual golfing trips to Hilton Head with professional colleagues. He played in (and won) several church tournaments. He was also a fairly capable bowler, and the family spent many Christmas nights at a nearby bowling alley. Jim loved going to the movies, though he was definitely not a fan of lengthy previews. Jim had a soft spot in his heart for dogs and was known as the Dog Whisperer. He treasured his faithful companions over the years, including Pretzel, Weazer, and Lucy.
Above all other things, Jim was a devoted Christian. He loved his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with all his heart, mind, and soul. He enjoyed the time spent at church and the companionship of his fellow worshipers. This devotion to Christ was reflected at home with his family. His wife and children were an immense source of pride to him. He loved having three daughters, and he loved being known as Pappy to his grandchildren.
Jim preceded in death by his parents, Dorothy Garrett Martin and Paul Elmo Martin. He is survived and celebrated by his loving wife, Karen Wierwille Martin; his brother, Frederick W. Martin, of Aurora, Ohio; daughter Darcy Martin Gagnon and her husband, Joe Gagnon, of Houston; his daughter Sarah-Marie Martin and her husband, Nick Brophy, of Sea Girt, New Jersey; his daughter Joelle Martin Hussey, and her husband, Lloyd Hussey, of Thousand Oaks, California; grandchildren Camille Gagnon, Joseph Gagnon, Jr., Eyerusalem Brophy, Martin Brophy, James Brophy, Skylar Brophy, Quinn Brophy, Faith Hussey, Gabrielle Hussey, and Eden Hussey; and countless colleagues, former students, friends, neighbors, and loved ones.
A memorial service celebrating Jim’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at Tallowood Baptist Church at 555 Tallowood, Houston, Texas 77024. A reception at the church will immediately follow the service. Attendees are encouraged to wear red, representing heart health and Jim’s enthusiasm for UH athletics.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jim’s memory to the American Battlefield Trust (www.battlefields.org) which seeks to preserve hallowed ground for posterity or to Gracewood (www.gracewood.org) which provides home, hope and healing to single mothers.
The Martin family wish to thank everyone whose outpouring of love and support have provided comfort during this time. Though we grieve, we also rejoice. Jim fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith.
We just lost a great historian. James Kirby Martin will be missed, but his work will live on.