Thomas Henry Armstrong (February 6, 1829 – December 29, 1891) was a

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

banker, lawyer, legislator, and the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. He became Lieutenant Governor under

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

William Rainey Marshall William Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825January 8, 1896) was an American politician. He was the fifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866, to January 9, 1870, and was a member of the Republican party. He served as the Colonel of the 7t ...

from January 8, 1866, to January 7, 1870. Armstrong served in the Minnesota Constitutional Convention and both houses of the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenni ...

. He died in 1891 in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea ( ) is a city in Freeborn County, Minnesota, Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates Intersta ...

.Minnesota Legislators Past and Present
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Biography

Thomas Henry Armstrong was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 6, 1829, the son of Augustus Armstrong (1790-1862) and Phebe Higby (1805-1864). His father was born in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

but later moved to Milan, Ohio, where he married Phebe Higby. Following this, he settled down and became a farmer. Thomas studied in Milan, Ohio for a couple of years before moving to Minnesota in 1855, where he settled in

High Forest A high forest is a type of forest originated from seed or from planted seedlings. In contrast to a low forest (also known as a coppice forest), a high forest usually consists of large, tall mature trees with a closed canopy. High forests can occu ...

, Minnesota. Before the outbreak of the

Civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he was originally a Douglas Democrat, but when the war broke out, he became a staunch Republican He stayed in High Forest until he moved to Albert Lea in April 1875.

Political career

In the autumn of 1874, he ran as an independent for the State Senate, an endeavor in which he was successful.

Notes

1829 births 1891 deaths People from Milan, Ohio Republican Party Minnesota state senators Lieutenant governors of Minnesota Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature {{Minnesota-MNSenate-stub