Henri Milton Martin was born in Clintonville, New York on June 6, 1872. He received his education at various schools in Montreal, Quebec, and at the College de Joliette near Montreal. At 15 he travelled west, and was among those who saw the first Canadian Pacific Railroad train to enter Vancouver, British Columbia in 1887. In 1898 he travelled over the famous Yukon Trail, and in 1902 he was appointed Crown Timber and Land Agent at Fort Selkirk in the Yukon. In 1906 he moved to Edmonton, Alberta, and entered the real estate and insurance business.

For 15 years he was chair of the Town Planning Commission and served on the city council for two years. Martin was also chair of the General Hospital. From 1914 to 1921, Martin was chair of the Relief Committee of the Canadian Patriotic Fund for northern Alberta. He was Belgian Consul in Edmonton for nearly 10 years. He was president of the Edmonton Board of Trade in 1912, and in 1941 the Chamber of Commerce made him a life member. Martin was also made a Knight of the Order of Saint-Sylvestre by Pope Pius XII, and received a Knighthood in the Order of the Crown from King Albert of Belgium.

H. Milton Martin married Beatrice Beck, the daughter of Justice Beck, in 1908. Together they had a son, Milton Jr., and three daughters, Beatrice, Margeurite, and Francoise. Beatrice died in Edmonton, Alberta in 1932. H. Milton Martin died in Edmonton, March 14, 1962.