J. Sinclair Armstrong
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James Sinclair Armstrong II
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(October 15, 1915 – November 5, 2000) was an American banker and lawyer who served as chairman of the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...
between 1955 and 1957 and also served as a member from 1957 to 1961. He was
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) The assistant secretary of the navy (financial management and comptroller) (abbreviated ASN FM) is a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy. The assistant secretary of the navy (financial management and comptroller) is respo ...
from 1957 to 1959.


Early life

Armstrong was born in Manhattan on October 15, 1915, and was christened at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in 1916. He was a son of lawyer Sinclair Howard Armstrong (1881–1980) and nutritionist Katharine Martin (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
LeBoutillier) Armstrong (1886–1977). His brother was Dr. S. Howard Armstrong Jr. The family spent summers at his mother's farm in
Washington, Connecticut Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the North Eastern region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active ...
and his father's camp on
Chappaquiddick Island Chappaquiddick Island ( ; Massachusett language: ''tchepi-aquidenet''; colloquially known as "Chappy”) is a peninsula and occasional island off the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard. Norton Point, a narrow barrier beach, connects Martha's Vin ...
in Edgartown on
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...
His maternal grandparents were Sarah Graydon (née Martin) LeBoutillier and Charles LeBoutillier of 136 East 36th Street, was a partner in LeBoutillier Brothers, a family business that was one of the first retail chain stores in America. His paternal grandparents were James Sinclair Armstrong and Lizzie Howard (née Welsh) Armstrong. He graduated from
Milton Academy Milton Academy (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...
in 1934, followed by
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
, where he served as editorial chairman of ''
The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...
'' and was a member of the
Hasty Pudding Club The Hasty Pudding Club, often referred to simply as the Pudding, is a social club at Harvard University, and one of three sub-organizations that comprise the Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The current clubhouse was designed by Peabody and ...
and the Fox Club, before attending
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
.


Career

After his graduation from law school, he passed the New York State bar exam in June 1941 before being admitted to the Illinois bar in November 1941. He joined Isham Lincoln & Beale, a law firm in Chicago that was founded by
Edward Swift Isham Edward Swift Isham (January 15, 1836 – February 16, 1902) was an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. The son of a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, Isham attended Williams College and the Harvard School of Law before he was admitt ...
and
Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to survive past the teenage years ...
(son of President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
). Armstrong was later made a partner in the firm, where he specialized in corporate securities. From 1942 to 1944, and again from 1946 to 1948, he studied accounting at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
.


Public service

From 1945 to 1946, he served in the Office of the
General Counsel of the Navy The general counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the secretary of the navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Between 1945 and 1946, he was on active duty with the U.S. Naval Reserve. In 1953, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
named him to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and from 1955 to 1957, he was chairman of the agency. While chairman, he was known for his work towards tougher rules the selling of stocks and bonds and for advertising. In February 1961, Armstrong wrote an editorial to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praising
President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
's appointment of
William L. Cary William Lucius Cary (1910–1983) served as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission between 1961 and 1964. Chairman Cary graduated from Yale University in 1931 and later served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the form ...
as chairman of the agency and former
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
J. Allen Frear Jr. to the commission. In 1957, Eisenhower appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Comptroller of the Navy Department to succeed William B. Franke (who became
Under Secretary of the Navy The under secretary of the navy is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the United States Department of the Navy. The under secretary reports to the secretary of the navy (SECNAV). Before the creation of the under secretary's office, t ...
). While Assistant Secretary, he is known for his efforts to establish controls to rein in costs while the Navy was adapting to nuclear power, missiles, and rockets.


Later career

On January 2, 1959, Armstrong left public office to become executive vice president of The United States Trust Company in New York, where he handled the banking for securities and law firms. He later became associated with the law firm of Whitman, Breed, Abbott & Morgan, where he was involved in securities and banking and
historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
law, which he was particularly passionate about. From 1970 to 1971, he served as the 77th president of the
Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York The Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York is the oldest Charitable organization, charitable institution in the state of New York (state), New York and is focused on helping Scots in the New York community with the motto Charity, Fello ...
.


Personal life

Armstrong was married four times, with his first three ending in divorce. On June 30, 1940, he was married to
debutante A debutante, also spelled débutante ( ; from , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Origin ...
Elisabeth Stillman (–1973) at Christ Protestant Episcopal Church in
Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Waterbury. The urban center of the town is the Wat ...
. Elisabeth was the daughter of the former Katherine Chase and Dr. Edgar Stillman, whose summer home in Watertown, known as Highfield, hosted the wedding reception. Together, they were the parents of two girls and three boys, including: * Katherine Chase Armstrong, who resided in
Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the Adminis ...
in 2000. * Elisabeth Stillman Armstrong, who married Jon M. Bushey and resided in
Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachus ...
in 2000. * James Sinclair Armstrong III, who resided in
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
in 2000. * Stephen Howard Armstrong, who resided in
Hadley, Massachusetts Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms ...
in 2000. * Robert Stillman Armstrong, who resided in
Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, ...
in 2000. On November 12, 1960, he was married for the second time to fellow
divorcée Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
Joan Shepard (née Miller) Gilchrist. Joan, a daughter of J. Bernard Miller of Manhattan House and Washington, Connecticut, was a graduate of Chatham Hall in Virginia and
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
. On May 12, 1973, he was married to Radcliffe and
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...
graduate Joan Estelle (née Carroll) Evans in
Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...
. Joan, the widow of banker Dwight D. Evans, was a daughter of Dr. Henry G. Carroll, a surgeon. On November 22, 1978, he married for the fourth time to Charlotte P. (née Horwood) Faircloth in New York City. Charlotte, a daughter of Dr. Murray P. Horwood (a
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
professor), was also a Harvard Law graduate who practiced with
Cravath, Swaine & Moore Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (known as Cravath; ) is an American white-shoe law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm has additional offices in London and Washington, D.C. History In 1854, former college classmates William H. Seward (la ...
before serving in the tax division of the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. Armstrong died in New York City on November 5, 2000.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, J. Sinclair 1915 births 2000 deaths Milton Academy alumni Harvard College alumni The Harvard Crimson people Harvard Law School alumni Armstrong, Sinclair United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Presidents of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire Eisenhower administration personnel