Martin A. Ryerson was born near Patterson, New Jersey on January 6, 1818. At the age of 16 he moved to Michigan and began trading with Native Americans. Forever grateful to the Ottawa community he spent $20,000 to erect a statue in Lincoln Park that pays tribute to these Native Americans. While in Michigan he purchased a saw-mill that sold lumber to Chicago.

In the 1840s he opened a lumber yard in Chicago and moved his residence to Chicago. Martin A. Ryerson died suddenly on September 6, 1887 while visiting Boston, Massachusetts. He and his first wife Louise had a daughter. After Louise's death he married Mary with whom he had a son. He donated some of his $3 million fortune to local charities.