# Ludwig Martin
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{{Short description|German lawyer}}
{{for|the German entomologist|Ludwig Martin (entomologist)}}
'''Markus Ludwig Martin''' (25 April 1909 – 31 March 2010)[{{Cite news|title=GBA: Zum Tode von Generalbundesanwalt beim Bundesgerichtshof a.D. Ludwig Martin |language=German |publisher=Polizeipresse |date=2010-04-01 |url=http://www.presseportal.de/polizeipresse/pm/14981/1588865/der_generalbundesanwalt_beim_bundesgerichtshof_gba |accessdate=2010-11-01 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}] was a German lawyer. He served as [Attorney General of Germany](/source/Attorney_General_of_Germany) from 7 April 1963 until 30 April 1974.
==Early life and education==
Born in [Waltenhofen](/source/Waltenhofen) as the son of a dairy worker, Martin was able to take his ''[Abitur](/source/Abitur)'' thanks to a teacher, despite his father's opposition. He subsequently went on to study law and economics at the [Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München](/source/Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit%C3%A4t_M%C3%BCnchen). From 1933 to 1934, he additionally studied philosophy at the [Pontifical Gregorian University](/source/Pontifical_Gregorian_University) in Rome.
Martin earned his first and second ''[Staatsexamen](/source/Staatsexamen)'' in 1932 and 1937 and joined the [Bavaria](/source/Bavaria)n judiciary.
==Career==
In 1939, Martin was appointed an investigating judge, later a criminal judge and a scientific associate at the [Reichsanwaltschaft](/source/Reichsanwaltschaft). In October 1939, he was appointed [district attorney](/source/district_attorney) in [Nuremberg](/source/Nuremberg) and [Fürth](/source/F%C3%BCrth), and in February 1940 in [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig). However, as he was conscripted into military service from 1939 to 1945, he never actually worked as a district attorney.
In 1946, Martin was appointed a judge in [Sonthofen](/source/Sonthofen), and in 1950, he was employed in the [Federal Ministry of Justice](/source/Federal_Ministry_of_Justice_(Germany)). In 1951, he was appointed Oberstaatsanwalt in the Generalbundesanwaltschaft, and in June 1952, he was appointed Federal Attorney (Bundesanwalt). He was appointed a federal judge in 1953, serving for ten years until 1963, mostly as a criminal judge at the [Federal Court of Justice of Germany](/source/Federal_Court_of_Justice_of_Germany).
In 1963, Martin was appointed Attorney General of Germany. During his term of service, the [Spiegel scandal](/source/Spiegel_scandal) and the [Guillaume Affair](/source/Guillaume_Affair) took place.
===Retirement===
He retired in 1974 and was succeeded by [Siegfried Buback](/source/Siegfried_Buback), who was murdered in 1977 by left-wing terrorists.
Martin lived for the rest of his life in [Karlsruhe](/source/Karlsruhe), where he celebrated his 100th birthday in 2009.
==Honours==
Martin was president and honorary president of the German section of the [International Commission of Jurists](/source/International_Commission_of_Jurists) and honorary president of the German-Italian Lawyer's Association. He was also honorary president of the [International Society for Human Rights](/source/International_Society_for_Human_Rights) (IGFM). Martin advocated [capital punishment](/source/capital_punishment).[[Armand Mergen](/source/Armand_Mergen) (ed.): ''Dokumentation über die Todesstrafe''. Stoytscheff, Darmstadt, Nürnberg, Düsseldorf und Berlin 1963] As the IGFM's president of the board of trustees, the [Chile](/source/Chile)an government of [Augusto Pinochet](/source/Augusto_Pinochet) considered him a "reliable friend". In 1987, Martin together with board member [Lothar Bossle](/source/Lothar_Bossle), warned the Chilean authorities that the relations between West Germany and Chile might deteriorate if the crimes in [Colonia Dignidad](/source/Colonia_Dignidad) became known.[Mauricio Weibel: ''[https://archive.today/20130217080129/http://app.swp.de/ulm/nachrichten/politik/Colonia-Dignidad-Was-wussten-Pinochets-Freunde-am-Rhein;art4306,1697359 Colonia Dignidad: Was wussten Pinochets Freunde am Rhein?]'' Südwest-presse, 29 October 2012.] He was a devout Catholic and a conservative, and a Knight of the [Order of the Holy Sepulchre](/source/Order_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre_(Catholic)) and the pontifical [Order of St. Gregory the Great](/source/Order_of_St._Gregory_the_Great). He also received the [Great Cross of Merit with star](/source/Federal_Cross_of_Merit).
==References==
{{Attorneys-General of Germany}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ludwig}}
Category:1909 births
Category:2010 deaths
Category:People from Oberallgäu
Category:People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Category:German Roman Catholics
Category:Public Prosecutors General of Germany
Category:20th-century German judges
Category:Jurists from Bavaria
Category:Knights of St. Gregory the Great
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Category:German men centenarians
Category:Lawyers awarded knighthoods
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ludwig Martin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Martin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Martin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.