John West Martin (1822-1899): Banker and Reform Mayor of Oakland & The Scandalous "Wedding" of his Son

 

J. West Martin and Family Plot

Plot 2 Lot 51

J. West Martin (1822–1899) was a pivotal figure in 19th-century Oakland, remembered for his brief but impactful tenure as the city’s 22nd mayor and for his deep imprint on its business and civic life.

Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, on February 6, 1822, Martin’s early life was shaped by a pursuit of the ministry, which he later abandoned for commercial ventures in the South. The lure of the West brought him to California in 1853, where he and his brother purchased Rancho Santa Rita in Alameda County, raising cattle and horses. After selling the ranch in 1865, Martin moved to Oakland, where his influence would only grow.

Martin quickly established himself as a financial powerhouse. He became president of Union Savings Bank in 1876, a position he held until his death. He also served as director and vice-president of Union National Bank and led the Oakland Gas Light Company as president. Martin was instrumental in founding the Amador Water Company and the Home Gas Light Company, both of which played significant roles in Oakland’s infrastructure and daily life.

In 1883, Martin was elected mayor as a Democrat, defeating Republican E. M. Gibson. He campaigned on a platform of fiscal restraint and implemented sweeping austerity measures: firing city employees, slashing salaries, and even turning off half of Oakland’s gas streetlights. These cost-cutting reforms, while financially prudent, proved deeply unpopular and cost him a second term.

Beyond politics and banking, Martin served as a regent of the University of California, helping shape the young institution’s future. He was also involved in various civic and business ventures, earning a reputation as a “capitalist” and self-made millionaire.

Martin’s personal life was not without intrigue. He married Jane Carneal, and their son, Shelby Foote Martin, became the subject of local gossip due to a notorious “contract marriage” to Valeria Hickethier-a story that captivated Oakland society for years. [see more below].

J. West Martin died at his Oakland home on August 18, 1899, and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery. His legacy endures in the institutions he helped build and the reforms-however controversial-that he brought to city government.

 

News headline about Shelby Martin and Valeria Hickethier

The Scandalous “Contract Marriage” of Shelby Foote Martin: Oakland’s Gilded Age Gossip

Oakland’s Gilded Age was a time of booming fortunes, elegant mansions and society scandals that set tongues wagging from the parlor to the press. One such episode involved Shelby Foote Martin, son of prominent banker and Oakland mayor J. West Martin, and a woman named Valeria Hickethier became a story that would become one of the city’s most talked-about affairs.

Shelby Foote Martin was born into privilege and local prominence. His father, J. West Martin, was a self-made millionaire, bank president, and city leader. Shelby’s life, however, would take a dramatic turn with a peculiar event that came to be known as the “contract marriage.”

In the late 19th century, Shelby and Valeria Hickethier gathered with three witnesses and a notary for what was described as a marriage ceremony. Rather than a traditional wedding, the two signed a formal contract, an arrangement that, at the time, some described as a social formality, a joke, or perhaps a legal experiment. Whatever the intention, the contract had real consequences.

After the contract was signed, Valeria began using the name Mrs. Martin and insisted on the legitimacy of the marriage. Shelby, however, denied any true intent to wed and sought to dissolve the arrangement. The dispute quickly spilled into public view, and the local press seized on the drama, chronicling every twist and turn. For Oakland’s society set, it was a scandal that mixed legal ambiguity, social intrigue, and the complicated expectations of Victorian-era relationships.

Obituary and grave of Shelby Martin

The affair took a heartbreaking turn in November 1895, when Valeria Hickethier died, her death widely reported as a suspected suicide, but a subsequent autopsy showed that she also had tuberculosis. According to the San Francisco Call, her relatives blamed the distress of the marriage dispute and the resulting social ostracism for her demise. The newspaper somberly noted:

"His dear wife is dead. Shelby Martin has no more fear of that marriage contract. A suspicion of suicide. Her relatives declare that she was a victim of persecution."

In the weeks before her passing, negotiations were underway to annul the marriage: Shelby Martin agreed to pay Valeria $10,000 in exchange for her consent and her promise to leave Oakland. The legal agreement was ready to be signed, but Valeria died less than 48 hours before it could be finalized-had she lived just two days longer, she would have received the full settlement. Friends and relatives noted the tragic timing and commended Shelby Martin for attempting a generous resolution rather than contesting the contract’s legality

The “contract marriage” of Shelby Foote Martin and Valeria Hickethier became a cautionary tale, a topic of whispered conversation, and a lasting footnote in the annals of Oakland’s high society. It reminds us that beneath the surface of even the most gilded families, human drama and tragedy can unfold-sometimes with consequences that echo long after the headlines fade.