LIFELONG INTEREST IN Abraham Lincoln coupled with the study of history, government and politics coupled with experience in news reporting, political campaigns, politics and government activities motivated Fred J. Martin Jr. to write his book—Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Reelection in 1864: Our Greatest History. Lincoln’s ethical and moral principles illuminated the path. The son of a weekly newspaper, Martin grew up in the world of news and politics. A great- great uncle with a bullet-shattered elbow took leave and campaigned for Lincoln’s Reelection but returned to active duty to merit a brevet major general commission at the age of 32 at Appomattox. Since retirement, Martin has devoted the last 20 years to research Lincoln at the Library of Congress, state historical societies, archives and libraries across the nation. A retired bank government relations executive and former journalist, he is a Visiting Scholar at the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental studies. He has an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Denver and complete the Senior Managers in Government program at Harvard. Martin lives in San Francisco, California and his wife still teaches as a substitute in the elementary schools of the city, although she had retired after 34 years. His interaction with the federal regulators as a point person for Bank of America in the mid-80s gave him understanding and insight A
into the national banking system and a currency and developed a governing structure based on sound economic and moral principles. Martin has worked extensively with government at all levels, giving him insight into Lincoln’s path from grass roots politician to national statesman.
ABOUT THE BOOK Abraham Lincoln ‘s Path to Reelection Our Greatest Victory — my book — shows how Lincoln with the power of his words, his moral and ethical judgment and his clear vision led the nation to victory in the Civil War. He took a bankrupt nation lacking an effective government, without a fiscal policy, devoid of an adequate banking structure and without either a currency or tax structure and created a firm basis on which the nation grew and the South evolved into bankruptcy. At the same time as Commander-in-Chief he created both a military command structure that proved superior to that of the slave- power South to which many of the nation’s key commanders had deserted. It was the political genius of Abraham Lincoln who developed an effective political base that provided the overwhelming delegate strength to win renomination, ward off the attempts of Radicals to prevent his renomination and then win reelection against the Southern insurgency, the peace Democrats and the Democratic Party. It was our greatest victory — and this book shows how Lincoln gave it to us.
Martin drew on his experience
as an investigative reporter, a capital correspondent, Washington representative for Bank of America, working with regulators, Congress and federal officials. What became evident in his research was the supreme ability of Lincoln as a writer and a communicator. Martin accompanied his father at Montana Press Association meetings. Even today he writes periodically for the San Francisco Chronicle. Martin’s experience gave him a point from which to take a look at the Press Lords of Lincoln’s day and the way Lincoln so successfully dealt with them. Members of the congress, as they did on Lincoln, make demands, as Martin learned working in State Capitals and in Washington. Martin’s experience gave him a basis for understanding Lincoln’s artful political skills. In Washington, Martin experienced the need to cultivate the members of the Congress without giving way to immoral and illegal demand of some members. Martin made the words of Lincoln, his opponents and his allies the super structure of this book. (Sources: Fred’s Linkedin account and amazon.com)
49 EC Magazine | World Tourism Day Edition 2020
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