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Note historical marker in foreground reads, "John Martin was born in Plainfield, Marion County, Florida on June 21, 1884. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1914. He joined the Democratic Party and toured the state making speeches in support of President Woodrow Wilson before and during World War I. From 1917 until 1923 Martin served three terms as Mayor of Jacksonville. In 1924 he ran and was elected Florida's 24th Governor, serving from January 1925 until January 1929, during the height and collapse of the Florida Real Estate Boom. Martin was the first candidate to solicit the women's vote. At the bottom of his political advertisements was the phrase "The Ladies are Especially Invited." During his administration he proposed a change in the state constitution to allow the state to provide direct assistance to public elementary schools. This was ratified by the voters in 1926. Wildlife conservation programs were also begun in the state, with the restocking of quail and deer and the establishment of fish hatcheries. Martin's house, called "Apalachee," was constructed in the early 1930's on his 27 acres. It is of the Georgian Revival style. In 1941, Martin sold the property to local developers who incorporated all but approximately six acres into a new subdivision called Governor's Park. Martin moved back to Jacksonville where he lived until his death in January 1958."

Accompanying note: "The Gov. Martin House, at 1001 de Soto Park Drive in Tallahassee, is on the site where Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his army spent the winter of 1539-1540 and are believed to have celebrated the first Christmas in what became the United States. The house was built in 1934 by John Wellborn Martin, the 24th governor of Florida (1925-1929). It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986 and in 2012 was home to the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research."