James Dillon Armstrong (September 23, 1821 – September 4, 1893) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served in the Virginia Senate from 1855 to 1864, and as Judge of the 4th and 12th West Virginia Judicial Circuits^{[lower-alpha 1]} from 1875 to 1892.

Armstrong was born in 1821 in Frankfort, Virginia,^{[lower-alpha 2]} and was the son of politician William Armstrong. He began practicing law in Romney in 1844 and was elected as Hampshire County Prosecuting Attorney in 1852. Armstrong served in the Virginia Senate, representing Hampshire, Hardy, and Morgan counties, from 1855 until 1864. During the American Civil War, Armstrong served on Hampshire County's "committee for safety". In early 1862, Stonewall Jackson appointed Armstrong as his chief of staff in the Confederate States Army; Armstrong accepted this position but Virginia governor John Letcher and others persuaded him to reconsider and decline Jackson's appointment because his services were required in the Virginia Senate. Following the war, Armstrong applied for a special pardon and received it from President Andrew Johnson.

In 1872, Armstrong represented West Virginia's 10th Senate district in the state's second constitutional convention. In 1875, he was appointed to serve as Judge of the 4th West Virginia Judicial Circuit^{[lower-alpha 1]} and he remained on the bench until his resignation in 1892. Armstrong was active in the Presbyterian Church and in 1850, he became a ruling elder in Romney Presbyterian Church. In 1853, he and his father-in-law William Henry Foote organized Mount Hope Church in present-day Keyser, West Virginia.^{[lower-alpha 3]} In the 1860s, Armstrong was a member of the General Assembly that organized the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Armstrong was one of the reestablishing members of the Romney Literary Society and he served on the Bank of Romney's board of directors when it was established in 1888. Armstriong died in Romney in 1893.

Early life and education

James Dillon Armstrong was born on September 23, 1821, in Frankfort, Virginia.^{[3][lower-alpha 2]} He was the son of politician William Armstrong and his wife Elizabeth Ann McCarty Armstrong.^[8] Armstrong's family was Presbyterian and of Scotch-Irish descent.^[8][9] Through his father, Armstrong was a direct descendant of James Armstrong, who participated in the rising of the Covenanters at the Battle of Pentland Hills, forfeited his estate in 1666, and escaped from Annandale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, to County Down, Ireland.^[8] Armstrong's mother was the daughter of Edward McCarty, a Continental Army Colonel who served under George Washington and was present at the Siege of Yorktown during the American Revolutionary War.^[8]

At the time of Armstrong's birth in 1821, James's father William Armstrong was operating a hotel in Frankfort,^[3] and in 1823, William relocated the family to Romney.^[3] William had represented Hampshire County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1818 to 1820,^[10] and represented Virginia's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1833.^[8]

James Armstrong studied law under Hampshire County Clerk of Court John Baker White in Romney^[11] and under Judge Lucas P. Thompson at Staunton Law School in Staunton, Virginia.^[12] Armstrong was admitted to the bar in Hampshire County,^[3][8] and in 1844, he began practicing law in Romney.^[3][8] Armstrong continued the practice of law in Romney until he was appointed to the bench in 1875.^[3][8] Armstrong was a law partner of John B. White, son of his law teacher John Baker White,^[13] and later had a law practice with Robert Wood Dailey Jr. until Armstrong took the bench in 1875.^[14]

Political career

The old Hampshire County Courthouse was in use during Armstrong's tenures as the county's prosecuting attorney and as a circuit court judge

In 1852, James Armstrong was elected as Hampshire County Prosecuting Attorney, winning against A. P. White.^[3] In April of that year, the Virginia Whig state convention appointed Armstrong to represent Virginia's 10th congressional district as a county elector for Hampshire County.^[15][16]

In 1855, John C. B. Mullin resigned his seat in the Virginia Senate representing Hampshire, Hardy, and Morgan counties, and Armstrong became a Whig candidate for this seat.^[17] Armstrong served in this Virginia Senate seat from the session beginning on December 3, 1855, until the session ending on March 10, 1864.^[18] In May 1857, Armstrong was elected to the Senate as a Whig,^[19] and in May 1859, he was re-elected to the Senate as a Democrat.^[20]

Following the onset of the American Civil War, Armstrong began serving on Hampshire County's committee for safety^[21] alongside Isaac Parsons and Angus William McDonald.^[21] The committee for safety continued to meet until May 29, 1861.^[21] Hampshire County Court permitted Armstrong and Parsons to execute bonds for and on behalf of the county to raise money to fund "war purposes".^[21]

In early 1862, Stonewall Jackson appointed Armstrong as his chief of staff in the Confederate States Army.^[8] Armstrong accepted this position but Virginia governor John Letcher and others persuaded him to reconsider and decline Jackson's appointment because his services were required in the Virginia Senate.^[8] Following the end of the American Civil War, Armstrong applied for a special pardon and received it from President Andrew Johnson.^[22]

In May 1866, during the post-war Reconstruction era, Armstrong, Robert White, J. W. F. Allen, A. W. Kercheval, and Alexander W. Monroe refused to take the test oath before Hampshire County Court,^[23][24][25] and Armstrong was forbidden to practice law,^[24] and was denied the right to vote by the Romney township registrar and Hampshire County board of registration.^{[25][26][27][28]} On September 14, 1866, the circuit court at Romney awarded a peremptory writ of mandate requiring the board to register Armstrong without him taking the oath.^{[25][26][27][28]}

On February 23, 1871, the West Virginia Legislature passed an act calling for an election of delegates to a constitutional convention to update the state's 1863 constitution.^[29][30] The election of delegates was held on October 26, 1871, and Armstrong was elected to represent West Virginia's 10th Senate district alongside John T. Peerce, and Alexander W. Monroe was elected to represent Hampshire County.^[29][30][31] Armstrong participated in the constitutional convention, which assembled in Charleston from January 16, 1872, and lasted until April 9 that year.^[29][30][31]

Judicial career

Armstrong, Robert White, and J. W. F. Allen were candidates for the position of Judge of the 4th West Virginia Judicial Circuit;^{[lower-alpha 1]} Armstrong and White withdrew in favor of Allen.^[9] On December 24, 1875, Armstrong was appointed to serve as Judge of the 4th judicial circuit following the death of Allen.^[3][8][32] In October 1876, Armstrong was elected to serve for the remainder of Allen's unexpired term.^[32] In 1880, Armstrong was elected to an eight-year term on the bench beginning on January 1, 1881; at the onset of this term, the 4th judicial circuit was renumbered as the 12th judicial circuit.^[33] He ran for re-election against William C. Clayton and was re-elected on November 6, 1888, with 6,203 votes, for an eight-year term starting January 1, 1889.^[34] In September 1891 in Keyser, Armstrong became ill as a result of Bright's disease,^[3][35] and the following April, he resigned from the bench,^[3][9][36] citing his health as the reason for his resignation in a letter dated April 4, 1892, which was published in the Hampshire Review.^[37] At that time, he was the longest-serving judge to have presided over Hampshire County.^[38] Armstrong was succeeded on the bench by Robert Wood Dailey Jr.^[3][14][39]

Personal life

Presbyterian Church service

Romney Presbyterian Church, built in 1860, during Armstrong's tenure as a ruling elder

Armstrong was a Presbyterian,^[3] and in August 1846, he became a member of Romney Presbyterian Church under the leadership of William Henry Foote.^[40] In May 1850, Armstrong became a ruling elder in the Romney church and held this position for over 43 years.^[40] In 1853, the Winchester Presbytery appointed Armstrong and his father-in-law Foote to serve as a committee to organize a Presbyterian congregation in New Creek (present-day Keyser),^{[lower-alpha 3]} and on December 4, 1853, they organized the Church of Mount Hope there.^[41] Armstrong was later involved in the reorganization of the Church of Mount Hope in 1890.^[42] As a ruling elder, Armstrong was a member of the December 1861 General Assembly that organized the Presbyterian Church in the United States.^[40][43]

Death

Armstrong's burial monument in Indian Mound Cemetery

James Armstrong became seriously ill on August 27, 1893,^[40] and he died at his Romney home the night of September 4, 1893.^[3] Armstrong was survived by his wife, who was also in ill health at the time of his death.^[3][9] His funeral was held at Romney Presbyterian Church on September 7, 1893, and he was interred at the town's Indian Mound Cemetery.^[3][53] Armstrong's obituary in Hampshire Review describes him as "an able lawyer ... an enterprising, liberal citizen, and above all, a high minded Christian gentleman".^[3] Armstrong's wife Anne died in Romney on December 26, 1908;^[50][54] she was interred with her husband in Indian Mound Cemetery on December 29, 1908.^[53][54]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Media related to James Dillon Armstrong at Wikimedia Commons