Boyce Ficklen Martin, Jr. Papers, 1958-2015
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Martin, Boyce Ficklen, Jr., 1935-2016
Title: Papers, 1958-2015
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 7 cu. ft. and 1 ovsz. folder
Location Number: Mss. A M379a
Biographical Note
Boyce F. Martin, Jr., was one of Kentucky’s most prominent judges. He was instrumental in reforming the Kentucky judicial system in the 1970s and spent 34 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He was an outspoken liberal and fierce opponent of the death penalty, and he wrote opinions upholding affirmative action and the Affordable Care Act. One of his most famous cases protected the exclusivity of bourbon brand Maker’s Mark’s iconic red-dripping wax seal.
Personal Life
Boyce F. Martin, Jr., was born October 23, 1935, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Boyce F. Martin, Sr. (1907-1981) and Helen S. Artt (1910-2005). His father was assistant dean at Harvard Business School and later, after the family moved to Louisville, president of Louisville Cement Company. Martin’s family lived briefly in Massachusetts and Georgia before moving to Louisville, Kentucky in 1942.
In 1961, he married Mavin “Mimi” Hamilton Brown (1938-1997), with whom he had four children: Mary Vincent Hamilton (b. 1962), Julia Harris Crittenden (b. 1963), Boyce F. Martin III (b. 1966), and Robert Calvin Grier II (b. 1968). His first wife Mavin died in 1997, and in 2000 he married Anne Brewer Ogden. Martin died from cancer in Louisville in June 2016.
Education and Career
Martin graduated from Eastern High School in Middletown in 1953 and graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1957. After college, he entered the U.S. Army Reserve, in which he served until 1965. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1963 and immediately became a law clerk for Shackleford Miller, Jr., then Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, a position Martin would later hold.
From 1964 to 1965, Martin served as Assistant United States Attorney, then as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. After working in private practice and teaching at U of L Law School for several years, he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Jefferson County Circuit Court in 1974 and won reelection later that year.
During his time on the bench, Martin lobbied for reform in the Kentucky judiciary. In November 1975, these reform efforts culminated in an amendment to the state constitution, which allowed for the creation of a unified court system with a new intermediate Court of Appeals in the Kentucky Supreme Court, for which Martin was appointed Chief Justice.
In 1979, Martin was nominated by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He served as Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit from 1996 to 2003. He retired from the federal bench in 2013 after 34 years, during which he reportedly wrote more than 1,100 opinions.
Other Affiliations
Martin served on the boards of directors for many local institutions, including the Bernheim Foundation, the Blackacre Foundation, Davidson College, Hanover College, the Louisville Zoological Commission, and the YMCA of Greater Louisville. He was an active member of social and professional clubs in Louisville and regularly donated to dozens of charitable and educational institutions throughout his life.
Sources
Biographical information found in folders 189-193
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/louisville/name/boyce-martin-obituary?id=17711636
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains material related to the personal life of Boyce F. Martin, Jr. Material includes correspondence, records, and ephemera regarding his involvement in politics, civic affairs, and nonprofit organizations, as well as personal records concerning his home and social activities.
Material related to Martin’s legal and judicial career is housed at the University of Kentucky Law School Library archive.
Folders 1-75b contain miscellaneous personal correspondence.
Folders 76-91 contain correspondence, meeting minutes, and other material related to social and professional clubs Martin was involved in, including the Lawyers Club, Speakeasy Club, Salmagundi Club, Pendennis Club, Louisville Beagle Club, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, and others.
Folders 92-117 contain correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records, and other material related to Blackacre State Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead in Louisville, for which Martin served on the board of directors.
Folders 118-127 contain correspondence, meeting minutes, and other material related to the Louisville Zoological Commission, for which Martin served as board member and president. Folder 123 contains Louisville Zoo reports and statistics, including data about finances, guest attendance, exhibit space, and animal acquisitions, births, deaths, and illnesses.
Folders 128-145 contain correspondence, meeting minutes, and other material related to miscellaneous committees and institutions with which Martin was affiliated, including LEAD Louisville, the I.W. Bernheim Foundation, the YMCA of Greater Louisville, and others. Folders 141-144 contain material related to Martin’s alma mater schools and other universities with which he was associated. Folder 145 contains a roster listing alumni from the 5010th Army Reserve, with which Martin served from 1957 to 1965.
Folders 146-152 contain material related to miscellaneous social and professional events. Folders 146 and 147 contain material related to wedding ceremonies that Martin performed or attended. Folders 148-151 contain material related to memorials and events honoring fellow legal and judicial professionals. Folder 152 contains material related to miscellaneous personal trips.
Folders 153-169 contain material related to Martin’s homes and properties, most prominently the home he shared with his wife Mavin “Mimi” Hamilton Brown Martin at 5903 Jennes Court. Folders 158 and 159 contain material related to insurance claims and remodeling projects undertaken after the Martins’ home was damaged in the 1974 tornado (see also oversized folder 200). Folders 160-162 contain material related to the 1999 Junior League of Louisville showhouse remodel project, for which the Martins’ home was remodeled and exhibited.
Folders 170-190 contain correspondence and material related to city, state, and national political campaigns and events from 1966 to 1977. Folders 175-179 contain material concerning Katherine Peden’s 1968 campaign for U.S. Senate, for which Martin served as campaign manager.
Folders 191-200 contain miscellaneous personal and biographical information about Boyce F. Martin, Jr., and his wife Mavin “Mimi” Hamilton Brown Martin. Folder 191 contains applications, transcripts, personnel forms, background checks, and IDs that provide factual information about Martin’s life. Folder 192 contains honors, awards, and certificates, as well as letters from Kentucky governors Wendell Ford in 1974 and Julian Carroll in 1978.
Oversized folder 201 contains architectural drawings for remodeling 5903 Jenness Court after the 1974 tornado, an election poster, and a certificate from the Judicial Conference of the United States, dated 2003.
Folder List
Box 1
Folder 1: Personal correspondence, 1959-1964
Folder 2: Personal correspondence, 1965-1966
Folder 3: Personal correspondence, 1967-1969
Folder 4: Personal correspondence, 1970-1973
Folder 5: Personal correspondence, 1974-1975
Folder 6: Personal correspondence, 1976-1977
Folder 7: Personal correspondence, Jan.-July 1978
Folder 8: Personal correspondence, Sept.-Dec. 1978
Folder 9: Personal correspondence, 1979
Folder 10: Personal correspondence, 1980
Folder 11: Personal correspondence, 1981
Folder 12: Personal correspondence, 1982
Folder 13: Personal correspondence, Jan.-March 1983
Folder 14: Personal correspondence, April-Dec. 1983
Folder 15: Personal correspondence, 1984
Folder 16: Personal correspondence, Jan.-June 1985
Folder 17: Personal correspondence, July-Dec. 1985
Folder 18: Personal correspondence, 1986
Folder 19: Personal correspondence, Jan.-March 1987
Folder 20: Personal correspondence, April-Aug. 1987
Folder 21: Personal correspondence, Sept.-Dec. 1987
Folder 22: Personal correspondence, 1988
Folder 23: Personal correspondence, 1989
Folder 24: Personal correspondence, 1990
Folder 25: Personal correspondence, 1991
Folder 26: Personal correspondence, Jan.-June 1992
Folder 27: Personal correspondence, July-Dec. 1992
Folder 28: Personal correspondence, Jan.-May 1993
Folder 29: Personal correspondence, June-Aug. 1993
Folder 30: Personal correspondence, Sept.-Dec. 1993
Box 2
Folder 31: Personal correspondence, 1994
Folder 32: Personal correspondence, Jan.-May 1995
Folder 33: Personal correspondence, June-Dec. 1995
Folder 34: Personal correspondence, Jan.-May 1996
Folder 35: Personal correspondence, June-Dec. 1996
Folder 36: Personal correspondence, Jan.-June 1997
Folder 37: Personal correspondence, July-Dec. 1997
Folder 38: Personal correspondence, Jan.-March 1998
Folder 39: Personal correspondence, April-June 1998
Folder 40: Personal correspondence, July-Dec. 1998
Folder 41: Personal correspondence, Jan.-June 1999
Folder 42: Personal correspondence, July-Dec. 1999
Folder 43: Personal correspondence, 2000
Folder 44: Personal correspondence, 2001
Folder 45: Personal correspondence, Jan.-Sept. 2002
Folder 46: Personal correspondence, Oct.-Dec. 2002
Folder 47: Personal correspondence, Jan.-July 2003
Folder 48: Personal correspondence, Aug.-Dec. 2003
Folder 49: Personal correspondence, Jan.-March 2004
Folder 50: Personal correspondence, April-Aug. 2004
Folder 51: Personal correspondence, Sept.-Dec. 2004
Folder 52: Personal correspondence, 2005
Folder 53: Personal correspondence, Jan.-March 2006
Folder 54: Personal correspondence, April-Oct. 2006
Folder 55: Personal correspondence, Nov.-Dec. 2006
Box 3
Folder 56: Personal correspondence, Jan.-Feb. 2007
Folder 57: Personal correspondence, March-July 2007
Folder 58: Personal correspondence, Aug.-Dec. 2007
Folder 59: Personal correspondence, 2008
Folder 60: Personal correspondence, 2009
Folder 61: Personal correspondence, 2010-2013
Folder 62: Personal correspondence, n.d.
Folder 63: Correspondence regarding applications to law school and first jobs, 1958-1965
Folder 64: Correspondence concerning judicial appointment, 1974-1977
Folder 65: Correspondence concerning judicial nomination, 1978-1979
Folder 66: Letters of congratulations, Aug.-Sept. 1974
Folder 67: Letters of congratulations, Oct. 1974-Feb. 1975
Folder 68: Letters of congratulations, 1976
Folder 69: Letters of congratulations, March-April 1979
Folder 70: Letters of congratulations, May-Sept. 1979
Folder 71: Letters of congratulations, Oct. 1979-Jan. 1996
Folder 72: Letters of congratulations, n.d.
Folder 73: Correspondence concerning donations to various organizations, 1983-1990
Folder 74: Correspondence concerning donations to various organizations, 1991-1998
Folder 75: Correspondence concerning donations to various organizations, 1999-2011
Folder 75a: Retirement cards/congratulations, 2013-2014
Folder 75b: Retirement cards/congratulations, n.d., ca. 2013
Clubs
Folder 76: Lawyers Club minutes and correspondence, 1977-1992
Folder 77: Lawyers Club minutes and correspondence, 1993-2002
Folder 78: Lawyers Club minutes and correspondence, 2003-2009
Folder 79: Lawyers Club pamphlets, constitution, and miscellaneous material, n.d.
Folder 80: Speakeasy Club correspondence, speeches, and miscellaneous material, 1988-2009 and n.d.
Box 4
Clubs (cont.)
Folder 81: Salmagundi Club correspondence and speeches, 1989-2010
Folder 82: Salmagundi Club history and miscellaneous publications, 1967 and n.d.
Folder 83: The Law Club correspondence, minutes, and speeches, 1975-2009
Folder 84: The Law Club history, constitution, and miscellaneous material, 1997 and n.d.
Folder 85: The University Club of Cincinnati correspondence and membership material, 1979-2010 and n.d.
Folder 86: Louisville Beagle Club constitution and by-laws, ca. 1971
Folder 86a: Cedar Creek Beagles material, 1987-2014 and n.d.
Folder 86b: Fincastle Beagles material, 1980-1987 and n.d.
Folder 86c: Rollington Foot Beagles material, 1984-1986 and n.d.
Folder 86d: Other beagle groups material, 1980-1984
Folder 87: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, member information for Martin and “Ajax,” 1962-1968
Folder 88: City Club of Washington correspondence and membership material, 1991-1993
Folder 89: River Valley Club material, 1966-2015
Folder 90: Pendennis Club membership material and annual reports, 1968-1978
Folder 91: Miscellaneous clubs material, 1966-2012 and n.d.
Committees and other Institutional Affiliations: Blackacre
Folder 92: Blackacre general correspondence, 1979-1984
Folder 93: Blackacre general correspondence, 1985-1988
Folder 94: Blackacre general correspondence, 1989-1992
Folder 95: Blackacre general correspondence, 1993
Folder 96: Blackacre general correspondence, 1994
Folder 96a: Blackacre general correspondence, 2007-2011
Folder 97: Blackacre owners Macauley Smith and Emilie Smith correspondence, 1984-1996 and n.d.
Folder 98: Blackacre owners Macauley Smith and Emilie Smith estate, legal, and death material, 1975-1994 and n.d.
Folder 99: Blackacre memorial donations in memory of Judge Macauley Smith, 1993
Folder 100: Blackacre application for National Register of Historic Places material, 1983-1986 and n.d.
Folder 101: Blackacre board and committee minutes and agendas, 1983-1986
Folder 102: Blackacre board and committee minutes and agendas, 1987-1994
Folder 103: Blackacre mid-year reports, final reports, and master plans, 1981-1987
Folder 104: Blackacre mid-year reports, final reports, and master plans, 1988-1993 and n.d.
Folder 105: Blackacre miscellaneous reports and information, 1982-1993
Folder 106: Blackacre miscellaneous reports and information, 1994 and n.d.
Box 5
Committees and other Institutional Affiliations: Blackacre (cont.)
Folder 107: Blackacre, Jesse Stuart Foundation, and Historic Homes Foundation by-laws, articles of incorporation, resolutions, trust agreements, and deeds, 1979-1985 and n.d.
Folder 108: Blackacre restricted endowment fund material, 1985-1989
Folder 109: Blackacre restricted endowment fund material, 1990-1994
Folder 110: Blackacre financial statements, budgets, and reports, 1983-1992
Folder 111: Blackacre financial statements, budgets, and reports, 1993-1994 and n.d.
Folder 112: Blackacre tax exemption application and tax return information, 1983-1992
Folder 113: Blackacre miscellaneous publications, fliers, and educational material, 1982-1988
Folder 114: Blackacre miscellaneous publications, fliers, and educational material, 1989-1994
Folder 115: Blackacre miscellaneous publications, fliers, and educational material, n.d.
Folder 116: Blackacre newspaper clippings, 1984-1992 and n.d.
Folder 117: Blackacre maps, n.d.
Committees and other Institutional Affiliations: LZC
Folder 118: Louisville Zoological Commission correspondence, 1969-1972
Folder 119: Louisville Zoological Commission correspondence, 1973
Folder 120: Louisville Zoological Commission correspondence, 1974
Folder 121: Louisville Zoological Commission correspondence, 1975 and n.d.
Folder 122: Louisville Zoological Commission meeting minutes, 1969-1975
Folder 123: Louisville Zoological Commission zoo reports and statistics, 1969-1974
Folder 124: Louisville Zoological Commission organization, constitution, by-laws, etc., 1964-1974 and n.d.
Folder 125: Louisville Zoological Commission newspaper clippings and miscellaneous publications 1973-1974 and n.d.
Folder 126: Louisville Zoological Commission job descriptions and applications, n.d.
Folder 127: Zoo Development Fund financial information, 1973-1974
Committees and other Institutional Affiliations: Other
Folder 128: Louisville Magazine community resource committee, 1984-1985
Folder 129: LEAD Louisville correspondence. 1967-1968
Folder 130: Blanton Forest Fund correspondence and miscellaneous information, 1993-1995 and n.d.
Folder 131: Louisville and Jefferson County Community Action Commission Manpower Committee material, 1967-1968
Folder 132: I.W. Bernheim Foundation Trustees minutes, correspondence, and reports, 1994-2009
Folder 133: Louisville Cement Company material, 1970-1973
Folder 134: Louisville Sanitary Wipers Co. (post-1968 known as “Superior Textile Co.”) Board of Directors and Stockholders minutes, etc., 1959-1973
Folder 135: YMCA of Greater Louisville Metropolitan Board minutes, 1967-1968
Folder 136: YMCA of Greater Louisville Blue Ridge Assembly, Inc. Board material, 1975
Box 6
Committees and other Institutional Affiliations: Other (cont.)
Folder 137: Junior League of Louisville tax exemption and incorporation material, 1975
Folder 138: Wolf Lake Lodge Association correspondence and miscellaneous material, 1972-2005
Folder 139: Sam O. English, Jr. Tennis Associates / Mockingbird Racquet Club limited partnership material, 1975-1978
Folder 140: Aquinas School Montessori program correspondence and miscellaneous material, 1964-1966 and n.d.
Folder 140a: St. Francis in the Fields Vestry material, 1979-1986 and n.d.
Folder 140b: Louisville Committee on Foreign Relations, 1978-1985 and n.d.
Folder 141: Hanover College Financial Committee and Board of Trustees minutes and correspondence, 1999-2010
Folder 142: Hanover College graduation speeches, 1998-2003 and n.d.
Folder 143: Davidson College correspondence, 1995-2011 and n.d.
Folder 144: University of Virginia “Moot Court” and Dillard Scholarship correspondence and miscellaneous material, 1998-2008
Folder 145: 5010th U.S. Army Reserve Roster of Alumni, n.d.
Miscellaneous Events
Folder 146: Wedding ceremonies performed/attended, 1996-1999
Folder 147: Wedding ceremonies performed/attended, 2000-2013 and n.d.
Folder 148: Portrait presentations for 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1978-2001
Folder 149: Portrait presentations for 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2002-2013
Folder 150: Memorial resolutions for fellow legal professionals, 1991-2001
Folder 151: Judge Shackelford Miller, Jr., dinner, books, portrait, estate material, 1965-1967
Folder 152: Miscellaneous travel and trips, 1972-2001
Martin Homes and Properties
Folder 153: Personal correspondence regarding the sale of 5903 Jenness Court, 2000-2002
Folder 154: Miscellaneous correspondence concerning properties, 1962-1974
Folder 155: 3934 Elfin Road property material, 1962-1967 and n.d.
Folder 156: Northfield material, 1966-1999
Folder 157: 5903 Jenness Court landscaping agreements, 1974-1976
Folder 158: 1974 tornado damage and remodeling to 5903 Jenness Court, April-Sept. 1974
Folder 159: 1974 tornado damage and remodeling to 5903 Jenness Court, Oct. 1974-1976
Folder 160: Junior League of Louisville showhouse remodel of 5903 Jenness Court, 1997-1998
Folder 161: Junior League of Louisville showhouse remodel of 5903 Jenness Court, 1999
Folder 162: Junior League of Louisville showhouse remodel of 5903 Jenness Court, 2000 and n.d.
Folder 163: Personal property lists / house inventories, n.d.
Box 7
Martin Homes and Properties (cont.)
Folder 164: Personal property lists / house inventories, n.d.
Folder 165: 5903 Jenness Court appraisal reports, 1979, 1988, 2002
Folder 166: Miscellaneous material concerning the sale of 5903 Jenness Court, 2002-2003
Folder 167: 5903 Jenness Court topographic survey, 1974
Folder 168: Deeds and mortgages for miscellaneous properties, 1967-1968 and n.d.
Folder 169: 6005 Hunting Road property material, n.d.
Political Campaigns
Folder 170: Young Democratic Clubs of Kentucky State Convention material, 1966
Folder 171: Henry Ward for governor and other elections material, 1967
Folder 172: Bill Martin for mayor and other elections material, 1968
Folder 173: 1968 Democratic National Convention and Kentucky/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committees correspondence, 1966-1968
Folder 174: 1968 Democratic National Convention miscellaneous material, 1968
Folder 175: Katherine Peden campaign correspondence concerning internal business, 1968-1971 and n.d.
Folder 176: Katherine Peden campaign correspondence concerning contributions and letters to/from the public, 1968
Folder 177: Katherine Peden campaign reports, questionnaires, etc., 1968
Folder 178: Katherine Peden campaign speeches, publications, and miscellaneous material, 1968-1969
Folder 179: Katherine Peden campaign voter polls and data, 1968
Folder 180: Campaigns: correspondence and miscellaneous material, 1970-1972
Folder 181: Campaigns: miscellaneous material, 1973
Folder 182: Campaigns: correspondence, 1974
Folder 183: Campaigns: clippings and publications, 1974
Folder 184: Campaigns: miscellaneous material, 1974
Folder 185: Campaigns: correspondence, Jan.-June 1975
Folder 186: Campaigns: correspondence, Aug.-Dec. 1975
Folder 187: Campaigns: miscellaneous material, 1975
Folder 188: Campaigns: correspondence, 1976-1977
Folder 189: Campaigns: miscellaneous material, 1976-1977
Folder 190: Campaigns: miscellaneous material, n.d.
Miscellaneous Personal/Biographical Information
Folder 191: Martin applications, transcripts, personnel forms, background checks, and IDs
Folder 192: Martin honors, awards, certificates, letters from governors, etc., 1960-2009
Folder 192a: Martin retirement material, 2013
Folder 193: Martin wills and trust information
Folder 194: Martin miscellaneous biographical material and personal writings, 1966-2015 and n.d.
Folder 195: Mavin Hamilton Brown Martin death, 1997
Folder 196: Martin features in newspaper clippings and publications, 1974-1976
Folder 197: Martin features in newspaper clippings and publications, 1977
Folder 198: Martin features in newspaper clippings and publications, 2000-2006
Folder 199: Martin features in newspaper clippings and publications, 2007-2008
Folder 200: Martin features in newspaper clippings and publications, 2009-2014
Oversized
Oversized Folder 201: Architectural drawings for remodeling Jenness Court after tornado damage, election poster, and certificate from the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1974-2003.
Subject Headings
Aquinas Preparatory School (Louisville, Ky.)
Beagling – Kentucky.
Bernheim Forest (Ky.)
Bernheim Foundation.
Blackacre State Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead (Louisville, Ky.)
Boards of directors.
Carroll, Julian Morton, 1931-.
Clubs – Kentucky – Louisville.
Committees.
Davidson College.
Democratic National Convention (1968 : Chicago, Ill.)
Democratic Party (Ky.)
Dog sports – Kentucky.
Dwellings – remodeling.
Elections – Kentucky.
Ford, Wendell H., 1924-2015.
Hanover College.
Judges – Kentucky.
Junior League of Louisville.
Louisville Cement Company.
Louisville Defender.
Louisville (Ky.) – Tornado – 1974.
Louisville Zoological Gardens.
Marriage celebrants.
Marriage service.
Martin, Mavin Hamilton Brown, 1938-1997.
Miller, Shackelford, Jr., 1892-1965.
Mock trials.
Montessori method of education.
Natural disasters.
Northfield (Louisville, Ky.)
Peden, Katherine Graham, 1926-2006.
Political campaigns – Kentucky.
Portraits.
Superior Textile Company (Louisville, Ky.)
Tornado damage.
United States. Army Reserve.
University of Virginia.
Ward, Henry, 1909-2002.
Women – Political activity – Kentucky.
Women in politics – Kentucky.
Young Men’s Christian Association (Louisville, Ky.)
Zoo animals.
Zoos – Kentucky – Louisville.
Zoos – Management.
