Martin grew up in Hudson Falls with his seven brothers and sisters. After graduating from Hudson Falls High School in 1972, he spent several years as a factory worker, bartender and hotel desk clerk while attending Adirondack Community College on a part-time basis. After earning an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from ACC, he transferred to the State University of New York, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Russian and East European Studies.
Subsequently, prior to studying in Moscow, Russia under the Ohio State University program at the Pushkin Institute, in 1981 Martin was selected by then-Congressman Jerry Solomon, who represented the Adirondack region in the United States House of Representatives, as a “Lyndon Baines Johnson” intern in the Congressman’s Washington, D.C. office. Upon returning from Russia, Martin joined Congressman Solomon’s permanent staff, serving as one of his District Representatives for several years.
In 1986, Martin moved to Washington, D.C. to serve first as Legislative Assistant and later as Legislative Director for Congressman Solomon, and then as the Professional Staff Member for Foreign Policy and National Security for Solomon when the latter served as the Ranking Minority Member on the House Committee on Rules.
In 1993, Martin accepted a position on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as the Professional Staff Member covering United States policy and assistance regarding the Eastern European region and Russia, Ukraine and the other independent states of the former Soviet Union. He continued in that position under Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Benjamin Gilman for several years, subsequently accepting an appointment by former President George W. Bush to serve as a Senior Advisor at the Department of State’s Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Martin returned from the State Department to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2007, where he served as Deputy Minority Staff Director as well as Director of Foreign Assistance and Director of European Affairs.
Throughout his years in the Congress and at the State Department, Martin played a role in formulating and implementing United States Government policy across a range of areas, particularly US relations with Russia and with Europe more broadly and the implementation of foreign aid programs and efforts to reform those programs to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.