James Armstrong (August 29, 1748 – May 6, 1828) was an American judge, politician, physician, and slave owner.

Early life

Armstrong was born in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, on August 29, 1748. He was a son of Brigadier General and

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

man John Armstrong and Rebecca (

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 ...

Lyon) Armstrong (1719–1797). His older sister Rebecca Armstrong was the wife of James Turner and his younger brother was

John Armstrong Jr. John Armstrong Jr. (November 25, 1758April 1, 1843) was an American soldier, diplomat and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and United States Secretary of War under President James Madison. A m ...

, who became the

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the C ...

and served as the Minister to France and a

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 ...

from New York. He was educated at the

Philadelphia Academy The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and at

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. ...

(later the College of New Jersey, and today known as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

). He studied medicine at Dr. John Morgan's School in Philadelphia before graduating from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1769.

Career

After his graduation from medical school, he moved to

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's nor ...

, where he established a medical practice. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, he served as a medical officer and is sometimes confused with several other James Armstrongs in the war. After the war, he spent three years in England to further his medical studies before returning to Carlisle in 1788. After Carlisle, he relocated to

Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Mifflin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,143. Its county seat is Lewistown. The county was created on September 19, 1789, from parts of Cumberland County and Northumberland ...

, where for twelve years he practiced medicine and was appointed as an associate Judge. In 1792, he was elected as a Pro-Administration candidate to represent

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1793 until 1795, serving in the 3rd U.S. Congress. After his single term in Congress, he returned to Carlisle in 1796 and continued practicing medicine. In 1796, he was elected a trustee of

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

. On September 12, 1808, he was appointed an associate judge of the

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

Court.

Personal life

In 1789, Armstrong was married to Mary Stevenson (1766–1813), a daughter of large land-owner and iron manufacturer George Stevenson, Esq. (formerly the deputy surveyor-general under Nicholas Scull for the " territories of Pennsylvania") and sister of Dr. George Stevenson, who served with distinction at the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Am ...

. Together, they were the parents of nine children, including: * John Wilkins Armstrong (1798–1870), a doctor who married Mary Susanna Shell (1813–1855) in 1825. * Alfred Armstrong (1801–1884), who was thrice married—first to Mary, daughter of John Rankin, in 1829, second to Ann, daughter of Esq. Thomas Carothers, in 1838, and third to Mary, daughter of William Hamill, in 1863. Armstrong died on May 6, 1828, in Carlisle and was buried in the Old Carlisle Cemetery. He was the uncle of Mrs. William Backhouse Astor Sr.

Descendants

Through his son John, he was a grandfather of Mary Armstrong (1828–1898), wife of Christian Bowers Herman, and Cassius M. Armstrong (1846–1896), who married Jennie Hershman.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, James 1748 births 1828 deaths Politicians from Carlisle, Pennsylvania People from colonial Pennsylvania American people of Scotch-Irish descent Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania alumni Princeton University alumni Physicians in the American Revolution Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives