Moses Kimball Armstrong (September 19, 1832 – January 11, 1906) was an American

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

who served as a delegate from

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Life

Armstrong was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Erie County, Ohio Erie County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,622. Its county seat is Sandusky. The county is named for the Erie tribe, whose name was their word for "wildcat". ...

. He attended the Huron Institute in Milan and Western Reserve College in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, then moved to the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Territory in 1856. He was elected surveyor of Mower County, and was assigned to survey federal lands. When Minnesota was admitted to the Union, Armstrong moved to Yankton,

, then a small Native American village. He was a member of the first Territorial House of Representatives in 1861, was reelected in 1862 and 1863, and served as speaker in 1863. He became editor of the ''Dakota Union'' newspaper in 1864, and was appointed clerk of the territorial Supreme Court in 1865. He was elected to the territorial council in 1866 and in 1867, and served as the council's president. In 1867, Armstrong acted as secretary of the

Indian peace commission The Indian Peace Commission (also the Sherman, Taylor, or Great Peace Commission) was a group formed by an act of Congress on July 20, 1867 "to establish peace with certain hostile Indian tribes." It was composed of four civilians and three, lat ...

in Dakota Territory. Continuing as a surveyor, he established the great meridian and standard lines for

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

surveys in southern Dakota and in the northern Red River Valley. He was again elected to the Territorial council in 1869. In 1870 he was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

; he was reelected in 1872, and served from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875. Armstrong was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874, and moved to St. James, Watonwan County, Minnesota, where he engaged in banking and in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

. He died at

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

, and is buried in the Lakewood Cemetery in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Moses K. 1832 births 1906 deaths Members of the Dakota Territorial Legislature Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Dakota Territory People from Milan, Ohio People from St. James, Minnesota People from Yankton, South Dakota Businesspeople from Minnesota 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople