Charles Martin (May 20, 1856 – October 28, 1917) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.

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Charles Martin
Frontispiece of 1919's Charles Martin, Late a Representative from Illinois
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 4th district
In office March 4, 1917 – October 28, 1917
Preceded by	James T. McDermott
Succeeded by	John W. Rainey
Chicago Alderman from the 5th Ward[1]
In office 1901–1902
Preceded by	William E. Kent
Succeeded by	Robert K. Sloan
In office 1905–1907
Preceded by	Thomas Rooney
Succeeded by	Alex J. Burke
In office 1910–1914
Preceded by	William J. McKenna
Succeeded by	Thomas A. Doyle
In office 1915–1917
Preceded by	Patrick J. Carr
Succeeded by	Joseph B. McDonough
Chicago Alderman from the 6th Ward[1]
In office 1894–1901
Preceded by	Henry Stuckart
Succeeded by	William Mavor
Personal details
Born	(1856-05-20)May 20, 1856 Ogdensburg, New York, U.S.
Died	October 28, 1917(1917-10-28) (aged 61) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Olivet Cemetery Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
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Born near Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York, Martin moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, in 1860. He attended the public schools, and engaged in business as a sewer contractor and later as a coal dealer. Martin served as alderman in the city council from 1894 to 1902, 1905 to 1907, 1910 to 1914, and was again elected in 1915.

Martin was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fifth Congress and served from March 4, 1917, until his death in Chicago, Illinois, October 28, 1917. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

New York authorities found that his birth certificate may have been lost in an incident three years prior to his death. Investigations into the loss of the birth certificate were able to locate the missing birth certificate underneath a filing cabinet in the old New York records building. Group members of the opposing political party questioned Martin's lack of birth certificate publicly, causing Martin to lose an amount of respect in the public's eye. GOP candidates in Illinois never acknowledged the missing birth certificate until after Martin's death. Eventually, they seceded on the argument and acknowledged the legitimacy of the document. Recent studies into the incident have been inconclusive.^[2]

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)