Alexander Armstrong (Maryland politician)

Alexander Armstrong III (June 28, 1877 – November 20, 1939) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served as Attorney General of Maryland from 1919 to 1923. He was the Republican candidate for Maryland Governor in the 1923 election.

Alexander Armstrong
Armstrong in 1919
Attorney General of Maryland
In office
1919–1923
Preceded byOgle Marbury (acting)
Succeeded byThomas H. Robinson
Personal details
Born
Alexander Armstrong III

(1877-06-28)June 28, 1877
Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.
DiedNovember 20, 1939(1939-11-20) (aged 62)
Ruxton, Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S.
Resting placeRose Hill Cemetery
Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary Rebekah Woods
(m. 1911)
Children1
RelativesBess Armstrong (granddaughter)
Alma materPrinceton University (BA,MA)
University of Pennsylvania Law School (LLB)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer
  • bank president

Early life edit

Alexander Armstrong III[1] was born on June 28, 1877, in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Elizabeth Key (née Scott) and Alexander Armstrong. Armstrong graduated as valedictorian from Hagerstown High School. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1899 and a Master of Arts in 1900. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1903. He was admitted to the bar in 1904.[2][3]

Career edit

Armstrong practiced law in Hagerstown and Baltimore. He was affiliated with the Baltimore firm Armstrong, Machen & Allen. He was city attorney of Hagerstown from 1904 to 1906. He was state's attorney for Washington County from January 1, 1908, to January 1, 1912. He was president of the Board of Supervisors of Elections of Washington County from 1912 to 1916. He was elected as Attorney General of Maryland in 1919, defeating Thomas J. Keating. He served until 1923. He was the Republican candidate for Maryland Governor in the 1923 election and was defeated by incumbent Governor Albert Ritchie.[2][3][4] He was a delegate to the 1924 Republican National Convention. From 1924 to his death, Armstrong served on the State Board of Law Examiners.[3] In 1928, Armstrong was counsel during the Maryland legislature's State Roads Scandal of 1928.[3]

Armstrong was president of the First National Bank of Hagerstown. He was president of The Armstrong Company, a manufacturer of putties and plastic cements, in Detroit, Michigan.[2][3] He served as president of the Maryland State Bar Association from 1926 to 1927 and president of the Maryland Bankers Association from 1930 to 1931.[4][3] Armstrong was director and a member of the executive committee of the board of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company. He also served as director of the Potomac Edison Company, the New Amsterdam Casualty Company and the Blue Ridge Fire Insurance Company. He was a director of the Baltimore Library Association and a member of the board of visitors of the Severn School.[3]

Personal life edit

Armstrong married Mary Rebekah Woods, daughter of Dr. Hiram Woods, on January 25, 1911, in Baltimore. His brother also married the daughter of Dr. Woods. Armstrong and his wife had one son, Alexander Jr.[2][3] His wife died on December 21, 1938.[4] Later in life, Armstrong leased his home in Hagerstown and lived in Baltimore County.[3] His granddaughter was Bess Armstrong.[1]

Armstrong died on November 20, 1939, at his house on Boyce Avenue in Ruxton, Baltimore County. He was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown.[2][4]

Awards and legacy edit

Armstrong received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Maryland in 1923.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Alexander Armstrong, 89, Gilman teacher". The Baltimore Sun. December 11, 2003. p. B12. Retrieved January 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  2. ^ a b c d e "Alexander Armstrong". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. October 7, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Alexander Armstrong". The Evening Sun. November 20, 1939. p. 17. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Alexander Armstrong". The Evening Sun. November 20, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 

External links edit

Political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Maryland
1923
Succeeded by