William Franklin Martin

William Franklin Martin (July 19, 1863 – April 15, 1942) was an United States Army soldier who became a brigadier general.

Early life and education
William Franklin Martin was born on July 19, 1863, to Robert F. Martin and Mary E. (Lilley) Martin in Ripley, Ohio. In 1885, Martin graduated from the United States Military Academy number thirty-seven of thirty-nine. He graduated with Joseph E. Kuhn, Charles Henry Muir, Willard Holbrook, and Robert Lee Bullard.

Military career
After graduating, Martin was commissioned to the 25th Infantry and was on frontier duty from 1881 to 1891. During the Spanish–American War, Martin was in Cuba from 1889 to 1900, then spent time in the Philippines from 1900 to 1903 and then returned to Cuba from 1906 to 1908. Before World War I, Martin was on the General Staff from 1914 to 1917, but was then promoted to Brigadier General on August 5, 1917. He was commander of the Seventeenth Infantry Brigade at Camp Pike in Little Rock, Arkansas. He later commanded the 87th Infantry Division from November 22, 1918, until January 1919, when the division became inactive. In 1927, Martin retired as a colonel and in June 1930, his title of Brigadier General was restored.

Personal life
On July 20, 1892, Martin married Josephine Edgerton. Martin spent his retirement in Xenia, Ohio. He died on April 15, 1942, in Georgia.