Alexander Armstrong III (June 28, 1877 – November 20, 1939) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served as

Attorney General of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qua ...

from 1919 to 1923. He was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate for Maryland Governor in the 1923 election.

Early life

Alexander Armstrong III 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 Washington County Public Schools (''WCPS'') is a U.S. public school system run for the residents of Washington County, Maryland. The central offices of WCPS are collectively known as the Washington County Board of Education, which is located on 10 ...

. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1899 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in 1900. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1903. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1904.

Career

Armstrong practiced law in Hagerstown and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He was affiliated with the Baltimore firm Armstrong, Machen & Allen. He was

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

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

in 1919, defeating Thomas J. Keating. He served until 1923. He was the

candidate for Maryland Governor in the 1923 election and was defeated by incumbent Governor

Albert Ritchie Albert Cabell Ritchie (August 29, 1876 – February 24, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he was the 49th governor of Maryland from 1920 to 1935. Ritchie was a conservative who campaigned for, but did not win, the presid ...

. He was a delegate to the

1924 Republican National Convention Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. From 1924 to his death, Armstrong served on the State Board of Law Examiners. In 1928, Armstrong was counsel during the Maryland legislature's State Roads Scandal of 1928. 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 Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. 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. Armstrong was director and a member of the executive committee of the board of the

Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, usually known as C&P Telephone, is a former d/b/a name for four Bell Operating Companies providing service to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Today, three of the companies a ...

. 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 Severn School was founded in 1914 by Roland M. Teel in Severna Park, Maryland, as a preparatory school for the United States Naval Academy. In 2013, Severn School merged with nearby Chesapeake Academy. Currently the school enrolls boys and girl ...

Personal life

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. His wife died on December 21, 1938. Later in life, Armstrong leased his home in Hagerstown and lived in

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

. His granddaughter was

Bess Armstrong Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American film, stage and television actress. She is best known for her roles in films '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' High Road to China'' (1983), ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983), and ''Nothing i ...

. 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.

Awards and legacy

Armstrong received an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

degree from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1923.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Alexander 1877 births 1939 deaths People from Hagerstown, Maryland Princeton University alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Maryland city attorneys State's attorneys in Maryland Maryland Attorneys General American bank presidents American manufacturing businesspeople Maryland Republicans Burials at Rose Hill Cemetery (Hagerstown, Maryland)