Ward Lynn Armstrong (born June 2, 1956 in

Bassett, Virginia Bassett is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,100 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town was founded along a rail line by the sam ...

) is an American

trial lawyer A lawyer is a person who Practice of law, practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different Jurisdiction, legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney at law, attorney, barrister, canonist, canon l ...

and Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1992 to 2011, and served as the minority leader from 2007 to 2011.

Electoral history

Early life

Armstrong was raised in

, graduating from

John D. Bassett High School John D. Bassett High School, also known as Bassett Middle School, is a historic school building located at Bassett, Henry County, Virginia. It was built in 1947–1948, and is a two-story Georgian Revival style brick school building. A rear additi ...

in 1974. He then attended

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

, where he earned a

business degree A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...

in 1977. In 1980, Armstrong received a JD degree from the

University of Richmond School of Law The University of Richmond School of Law (Richmond Law) is a school of the University of Richmond, located in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Law is ranked 52nd (tie) in the US by ''US News'', among the ''top five value'' law schools by the ''Natio ...

. During law school, he studied for a summer at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. After law school, he worked as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to Justice W. Carrington Thompson of the

Supreme Court of Virginia The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

for one year. He has practiced law in

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, although ...

since 1981.

House of Delegates

He represented the 10th House District, and served on the Courts of Justice, Rules, and Finance committees. On February 24, 2007, Armstrong was elected Minority Leader of the Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates. As Minority Leader, he has organized the "51 Club" to assist candidates in an effort to establish a Democratic majority in the House of Delegates. As of early 2008, Armstrong said he would oppose closing an exemption for one-on-one gun sales between individuals from instant background checks (the

gun show loophole Gun show loophole is a political term in the United States referring to the sale of firearms by private sellers, including those done at gun shows, that do not require the seller to conduct a federal background check of the buyer. This is als ...

), even though he usually plays a key role in rallying Democratic support for

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

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

's agenda, saying "My constituents pretty much expect me to oppose it," he said. " Carroll County is my district, and it¹s home to one of the largest gun shows on the East Coast." Armstrong, with two young daughters of his own, said he is filled with sympathy for the

Virginia Tech Massacre The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree killer, spree shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, Blacks ...

victims but that it won't sway his opposition to closing the loophole. "As legislators, we have to be dispassionate when it comes to the law." The Virginia Fifth Congressional District Democratic Committee awarded Armstrong the A. L. Philpott Award for Leadership. He is past president of the Martinsville-Henry County Bar Association; a member of the

Virginia Museum of Transportation The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, US. children under two years do not to buy tickets and students can get a discounted $10.5 ticket. History The Virg ...

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

; and a member of the

Norfolk and Western The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

Historical Society. Armstrong was defeated on November 8, 2011 while running for election in the 9th House District. Armstrong was placed in the 16th District during the required redistricting after the 2010 census. The 16th district seat was held by Republican incumbent Donald Merricks. Armstrong chose to relocate and challenge Republican incumbent Charles Poindexter in the 9th House district. He left his home and moved into his mother-in-law's house in the town of Bassett. Poindexter defeated Armstrong with 53% to 47% of the vote. During his 2011 campaign Armstrong raised and spent more than $1,000,000. Armstrong considered running for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in the 2013 elections but decided not to.

Personal life

Mr. Armstrong and his wife, Pamela Akers, have two daughters: Courtney Lynn and Whitney Akers.

References

External links

Ward Armstrong
official campaign website
Virginia House of Delegates - Ward L. Armstrong
official VA website
Profile
from ''Virginia Public Access Project'' *Follow the Money - Ward L. Armstrong
2005200320011999
campaign contributions
Washington Post - Ward L. Armstrong
local election 2008 profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Ward 1956 births Living people Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia Baptists from Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Fuqua School of Business alumni University of Richmond School of Law alumni People from Bassett, Virginia 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians