Myra Belle Martin

Myra Belle Martin (October 6, 1861 – ?) was an American teacher, writer, and financier.[1] Having taught one year in Pennsylvania, six years in Connecticut, and one year in Massachusetts, she was the first woman elected president of the Eastern Connecticut Teachers' Association. She retired from teaching in 1889 and became associate manager of the New York City office of Prang Educational Company, 1889–93. After this time, she held various positions for several important corporations, including secretary and treasurer of the San Luis Mining Company; secretary of the George A. Treadweil Mining Company; as well as secretary and director of the Copete Consolidated Copper Company, and Fahnestock Electric Company.[2]

Myra Belle Martin
BornOctober 6, 1861
Grafton, New Hampshire, U.S.
OccupationTeacher, writer, financier
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Notable worksArt education in American life
Signature

Martin was a prominent member of the American Ethnological Society, the American Anthropological Society, the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, the National Institute of Civics, the National Society of Craftsmen, the National Arts Club, the Nineteenth Century Club, the Drawing Room Club, the Shakespeare Club, and the Dickens Fellowship. She was a member of the New York City Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which she was for seven years the corresponding secretary; treasurer of the Guild for Crippled Children of the Poor of New York City; member of the Library Committee of the New York School of Applied Design for Women; and a founder of the Patria Club of New York.[3]

Early years and education

Myra Belle Martin was born October 6, 1861,[2] in Grafton, New Hampshire.[4] She was the daughter of Isaac Bullock Martin and Almira Helen Haskins Martin.[5] On her mother's side, she was descended from William Haskins —the name was sometimes spelled Hoskins— who was one of the earliest settlers to come from England after the Mayflower. He was a freeman at Scituate, Massachusetts, in 1634, and was one of the thirty who bought Bristol County, Massachusetts, from the Native Americans. Several of his descendants fought in the American Revolutionary War, some as officers and some as privates. Her father was also descended from an old New England family, and on his side she had several ancestors who fought in the Revolution.[6]

Having been educated in the public schools of Boston and Southbridge, Massachusetts, she prepared to enter the sophomore class at Wellesley College.[1]

Career

Teacher

In 1881, she began teaching, and subsequently prepared many students in Latin, Greek and mathematics, for Smith, Vassar, Wellesley, Harvard, Yale, the Sheffield Scientific school and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She taught one year in Oil City, Pennsylvania, six years in Willimantic, Connecticut, and one year in Winchester, Massachusetts. She was the first woman elected President of the Eastern Connecticut Teachers' Association. In 1889, she accepted the superintendency of the art department of the Prang Educational Company of Boston, Chicago, and New York City, in the last of which cities she resided.[6][7]

Business

In 1893, she changed careers, and became engaged as Secretary in several important corporations. Among them are three —the Greene Consolidated Copper Company, the San Luis Mining Company, and the George A. Treadwell Mining Company— whose successes were largely due to her work.[6]

As Secretary of the Greene Consolidated Copper Company, she personally issued 150,000 shares of its capital stock, which were countersigned by two prominent trust companies, and she also handled about US$1,250,000 of the money received for such stock and turned over her accounts to her successor with only two errors —- both trifling. At this time, this was believed to be a record for accuracy unsurpassed by anyone in a similar position.[6] Her work in connection with these corporations brought her into business relations with eminent financiers, whose implicit confidence she retained.[7]

Myra Belle Martin (1910)

In 1902, she registered as a law student at New York, with the view of entering the profession among whose prominent members she had a wide acquaintance. By 1915, she held several prominent positions, including A. A. C. Holding Corporation, Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Brookshire Mining Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Cardenena Mining Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Copete Consolidated Copper Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Copete Mining Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Fahnestock Electric Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; Lucia Mining Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director; and Meiczer Mining Co., Secretary, Treasurer, Director.[8] Her connection with these corporations enabled her to amass a modest fortune.[9]

Affiliations

Martin became a prominent member of the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and for many years, served as Corresponding Secretary of the New York City Chapter, of which Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean was Regent.[6] She was one of the founders of the Patria Club and was a prominent member of the Ethnological Society and of the National Arts Club. She was a member of the Board of Managers of the Guild for Crippled Children,[6] and also served as president of the Shakespeare Club of New York.[10]

Selected works
  • Art education in American life, 1892
  • The business woman visits Yaqui, 1894
  • Account of the secretary's visit to the properties of the San Luis Mining Company, 1904
  • Walter S. Logan : sketch of the life of the late president of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, 1907
  • Shakespeare, Writer of Letters, 1929[11]

References
  1. J. T. White Company 1910, p. 525.
  2. Leonard 1914, p. 545.
  3. J. T. White Company 1910, p. 526.
  4. Herringshaw 1926, p. 459.
  5. Daughters of the American Revolution 1899, p. 204.
  6. Cauldwell 1902, p. 552.
  7. J. T. White Company 1910, p. 525-26.
  8. Audit Company 1915, p. 441-42.
  9. Cauldwell 1902, p. 552-53.
  10. School News Company 1913, p. 328.
  11. Martin, Myra B. "Shakespeare, Writer of Letters." The Shakespeare Association Bulletin, vol. 5, no. 4, 1930, pp. 178–181. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23676140

Bibliography
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Audit Company (1915). Directory of Directors in the City of New York (Public domain ed.). Audit Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cauldwell, William (1902). The Successful American (Public domain ed.). New York City: The Writers' Press Association.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Daughters of the American Revolution (1899). Lineage Book (Public domain ed.). Daughters of the American Revolution.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herringshaw (1926). Herringshaw's American Blue-Book of Biography; Prominent Americans.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: J. T. White Company (1910). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time (Public domain ed.). J. T. White Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Leonard, John W. (1914). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915 (Public domain ed.). American Commonwealth Company. p. 545.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: School News Company (1913). School: Devoted to the Public Schools and Educational Interests. 25–26 (Public domain ed.). School News Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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