Merton Martensen
Merton Martensen | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Arizona Senate from the Pima County district | |
| In office January 1929 – December 1930 | |
| Preceded by | William C. Joyner |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Profession | Politician |
Merton Martensen was an American politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 9th Arizona State Legislature, holding one of the two seats from Pima County.[1]
While a senator, he was instrumental in getting the state's fingerprinting law passed. In October 1929, Martensen was appointed by Governor John C. Phillips as Secretary of the Board of Directors of State Institutions, accepting the position necessitated his resignation from the Arizona State Senate.[2][3]
Martensen was killed at age 54 in a car accident on December 5, 1948 in California.[4]
During the Mexican Revolution, Martensen served as the driver for Pancho Villa.[4]
Martensen moved to Arizona in 1909. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Martensen went to Canada and joined the Canadian Army. He served in the army through the end of the war, after which he returned to his native Wisconsin in 1919. In 1922 he was elected sheriff of Barron County, serving for two years, and then the following two years as deputy sheriff, due to state laws prohibiting sheriff's from being re-elected. In 1926 he returned to Arizona, where he became a journalist for the Arizona Daily Star.[2]
Martensen was born in 1894 in Barron County, Wisconsin.[5]
References
- ^ "Session laws, State of Arizona, 1928, Eighth Legislature, Fifth and Sixth Special Sessions, 1929, Ninth Legislature, First Regular Session". State of Arizona. p. xviii. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ a b "Merton A. Martensen Named Secretary of Institutions Board". The Arizona Republican. October 16, 1929. p. 3. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Merton Martensen Gets $4500 Job". Tucson Citizen. October 16, 1929. p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Former Pima Senator Killed In Car Wreck". Arizona Daily Star. December 13, 1948. p. 6. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Merton Martenson, Ex-Writer, Legislator and Sheriff, Dead". Arizona Daily Star. December 12, 1948. p. 16. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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