Author: Martin, J. L.
Biography:
MARTIN, J. L. (1804-1848: ancestry.com)
His full name was Jacob Leonard Martin. He was born in South (or possibly North) Carolina; his volume of poetry is dedicated to a Mississippi planter. There is little reliable information about his early life but he uses Latin epigraphs and must have been well educated. He went to work for the US government in the State Dept. and in various overseas postings: notably, he acted as Interim Secretary of State for two days in 1841, was part of the American legation in Paris from 1844 to 1848, and in 1848 became the first US chargé d'affaires in the Papal States. (Sources differ as to whether or not he was a committed Protestant or a Catholic convert; the most recent academic study states the latter.) Unluckily, he died a few days after assuming office. His grave is in Rome. There is no reference to a wife or children. (ancestry.com 11 Jan. 2020; F. B. Hough, American Biographical Notes [1875] 278; history.state.gov/countries/papal-states 11 Jan. 2020; Francis Rooney, The Global Vatican [2015] 47-8)