Editing Alexander Martin (section)

== Early life and education ==
Born in [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]] in the [[Province of New Jersey]] in 1740 to James Hugh Martin and Jane Hunter of Ireland, Governor Alexander Martin was a North Carolinian politician and delegate to the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Federal Constitutional Convention]]. Aside from his role in the Constitutional Convention, Martin witnessed several significant chapters in colonial and early U.S. history, including the [[War of the Regulation|Regulator Rebellion]], the Revolutionary War, and the North Carolina ratification debates.<ref name="Bio">Congressional Biography</ref><ref name="NCPedia">{{cite web|author=Rodenbough, Charles D.|title=Martin, Alexander|work=Dictionary of North Carolina Biography|editor=Powell, Charles S.|publisher=Chapel Hill|year=1991|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/martin-alexander}}</ref>

Martin held bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of New Jersey (now [[Princeton University]]), making him one of the most erudite delegates to the Constitutional Convention. After graduating from Princeton, Martin moved to [[Salisbury, North Carolina]]. There he worked first as a merchant and later as an attorney. As his legal career took shape, the Regulator Rebellion began. On September 24, 1770, angry Regulators took over the Hillsboro Court. When their demonstration spilled onto the streets of Hillsboro, several lawyers, including Martin, who likely was serving as a [[justice of the peace]], were whipped and beaten.<ref name="NCPedia" /><ref name="Bio" />