Boyd A. Martin

Boyd A. Martin, 86, emeritus professor of political science and emeritus dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of Idaho, died Thursday at Good Samaritan Village in Moscow, Idaho.

He was born March 3, 1911, to Archer Olmstead and Norah Claudine Imbler Martin east of Cottonwood, Idaho. He attended school in Cottonwood, Lewiston and Nezperce, Idaho, graduating from Nezperce High School in 1929.

He was active in 4-H Club work, participated in school activities and played football and basketball. He worked on his parents' farm until he entered the university.

He attended Pasadena City College in 1932-33, University of California at Los Angeles during the summer of 1934, and graduated from the University of Idaho in 1936 with majors in political science, economics, history and sociology. At Stanford University he completed a master's degree in 1937 and a doctorate in 1943 with a major in political science and minors in economics and sociology.

He married Grace Charlotte Swingler on Dec. 29, 1933.

Martin held instructorships at both the UI and Stanford before completing his doctorate. He took his first position at the UI in 1938, then returned to Stanford to teach and later rejoined the Idaho staff in 1940. He became assistant professor in 1943, associate professor in 1944 and professor in 1947. He served as a visiting professor at Stanford University several times and at the University of California at Berkeley once.

He was appointed head of the Department of Social Science in 1947, assistant dean of the College of Letters and Science in 1947 and dean in 1955.

While at the UI he created and became director of the Bureau of Public Research. In 1973 he became the first Borah Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the UI.

Martin was responsible for reorganizing the William E. Borah Foundation at the UI and directed its orientation toward the causes of war and conditions of peace.

He and his wife had a continuing interest in war and peace throughout their lives, which led them to start planning their own institute while at Stanford in 1937. They gave their life savings to found the Martin Institute for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (originally named the Martin Institute of Human Behavior) in 1979.

The Martins combined their academic lives with lives of service and activities outside the campus. Boyd Martin represented the State Department in the Alliance for Progress in Central and South America, especially in Ecuador. He served on the board of the National Association of the Partners of the Alliance and later on the Inter-American Coordinating Committee of the Partners of the Alliance. He and his wife served as officers of the Idaho Partners of the Americas.

Other activities off campus included attending the U.N. Conference in San Francisco in 1945, a summer in Washington, D.C., and Lake Saccen observing the actual working of the national government and the United Nations. For many years he was a member of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace.

For a number of years, he was chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and he worked with the Northern Idaho Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Idaho Commission on the Humanities and Arts and the Governor's Centennial Commission. He served for five years on the Idaho Constitutional Revision Commission.

In addition to teaching, research and writing, he held numerous assignments in professional organizations.

Martin had received a number of awards and honors, including the Idaho Statesman's Distinguished Citizen Award, the UI Distinguished Idahoan Award, appointment to the University of Idaho Hall of Fame, and a Distinguished Citizen Award from the Moscow Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of six honorary societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, and is listed in 14 "Who's Who" publications.

During his academic career, Dr. Martin either authored or co-authored nine books and 30 professional articles. His most recent book, "Idaho Voting Trends," was published in 1975.

He is survived by two sons; Michael Archer Martin of Santa Rosa, Calif., and William Archer Martin of Nolanville, Texas.; two brothers, Sanford Keith Martin of Phoenix, and Owen Aubra Martin of Portland, Ore.; a sister, Elizabeth Pearl Martin O'Rourke of Nezperce, Idaho; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife; a sister, Leafa Lavel; and two brothers, Bayard Lowell Martin and Durward I. Martin.

A memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the UI Administration Auditorium.

The family suggests that memorials may be made to: Martin Institute, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 83844-3229