Martin was born in Ten Mile, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1879. He attended public schools and graduated from Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, in 1901. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1905 and commenced practice in Waynesburg. He served in the Spanish–American War, in the Mexican Border Expedition, and in the First and Second World Wars. He was a burgess of East Waynesburg from 1902 to 1905, solicitor of Greene County from 1908 to 1910 and again from 1916 to 1920. He served as auditor general of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1929 and State treasurer from 1929 to 1933. He chaired the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1934. He was adjutant general of Pennsylvania from 1939 to 1943, and commander of the 28th Infantry Division from 1939 to 1942. He was also president of the National Guard Association of the United States in 1940. He had varied business interests, including fire insurance, oil and gas, and banking.