James H. Armstrong

Full Name: James H. Armstrong
Date of birth: 1811
Date of death: December 21, 1879

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Counties in District
H	1	Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874	13th	Democrat	Beaumont / Jefferson	Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, Tyler
S	23	Nov 5, 1855 - Nov 2, 1857	6th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾		Georgetown / Williamson	Bell, Falls, McLennan, Milam, Williamson
S	23	Nov 7, 1853 - Nov 5, 1855	5th ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾		Georgetown / Williamson	Bell, Falls, McLennan, Milam, Williamson
S	14	Nov 3, 1851 - Nov 7, 1853	4th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾		Georgetown / Williamson	Brazos, Burleson, Leon, Milam, Robertson, Williamson
H	Jefferson	Dec 13, 1847 - Nov 5, 1849	2nd		Beaumont / Jefferson	Jefferson

(1) 6th Legislature, Regular Session - Not present at the organization of the Senate. First mentioned in appointments to Senate committees, 11/6/1855, p. 6. Senate Journal.
(2) 6th Legislature - Listed in the "19 members of the Senate [who] retained their seats from the 5th Legislature," p. 258. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861, 1990.
(3) Roster of members elect of the 5th Legislature, state elections, 1853. Texas State Gazette (Austin, Texas), 8/20/1853, p. 3, crediting Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).
(4) 5th Legislature - Roll of Senators elected since the last adjournment presented their credentials, and being qualified, took their seats, 11/7/1853, p. 2. Senate Journal.
(5) 5th Legislature - "In part due to the redistricting and the increase in the number of members, the returning senators found themselves a minority of six: James H. Armstrong, Joseph H. Burks, Rufus Doane, Hardin Hart, William T. Scott, and M.D.K. Taylor," pp. 241, 243. The Texas Senate: Volume I, Republic to Civil War, 1836-1861, 1990.
(6) Entire Senate went up for reelection due to Senatorial redistricting. Act passed Feb. 2, 1853, 4th Legislature, 1st C.S., ch. 4, Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(7) 4th Legislature, Regular Session - Roll of Senators elect presented their credentials, qualified, and took their seats, 11/3/1851, pp. 3-4. Senate Journal.

Terms of Service top

House District 1
Jan 14, 1873 - Jan 13, 1874
Legislatures: 13th
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Beaumont / Jefferson
Counties in district: Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, Tyler

Senate District 23
Nov 5, 1855 - Nov 2, 1857
Legislatures: 6th ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾
Home City/County: Georgetown / Williamson
Counties in district: Bell, Falls, McLennan, Milam, Williamson

Senate District 23
Nov 7, 1853 - Nov 5, 1855
Legislatures: 5th ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾
Home City/County: Georgetown / Williamson
Counties in district: Bell, Falls, McLennan, Milam, Williamson

Senate District 14
Nov 3, 1851 - Nov 7, 1853
Legislatures: 4th ⁽⁶⁾ ⁽⁷⁾
Home City/County: Georgetown / Williamson
Counties in district: Brazos, Burleson, Leon, Milam, Robertson, Williamson

House District Jefferson
Dec 13, 1847 - Nov 5, 1849
Legislatures: 2nd
Home City/County: Beaumont / Jefferson
Counties in district: Jefferson

Biographical Information top

Resolutions and Journal entries

5th Legislature - Roll of Members, James Armstrong, age 42, native state Kentucky, emigrated from Indiana in 1834, lawyer, postoffice Georgetown, Williamson County. House Journal.

Biographical Sketches

Biographical sketch, pp. 44-45. Biographical Directory of the Texan Conventions and Congresses, 1832-1845, 1942.
ARMSTRONG, JAMES (ca. 1811-1879), moved from Jasper to Beaumont ca. 1841, "elected to the House of the Second Legislature from Jefferson County . . . moved in 1848 to Williamson County . . . returned to Beaumont about 1868." Handbook of Texas Online.
Mentioned in biographical sketch of William P. May, Volume IV, pp. 1919-1920. Armstrong, grandfather of William P. May, was a member of the 4th and 9th Congresses in addition to serving in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 13th legislatures. A History of Texas and Texans, 1916.

Other Resources

James Armstrong (1811-1879), burial in Magnolia Cemetery, Beaumont, Jefferson County. Find a Grave.
James Armstrong, Chapter 5, Jefferson County, pp. 145-146, 155; election to state legislature in 1872, p. 157. Grass-Roots Reconstruction in Texas, 1865-1880, 1997.
Includes separate entries for James Armstrong, a member of the 2nd and 13th Legislatures and James H. Armstrong, a member of the 4th and 9th Congresses as well as the 4th - 6th Legislatures. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
James H. Armstrong, 5th and 6th Legislature, Senate. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
Delegate to Constitutional Convention, 1845. Journals of the Convention, assembled at the city of Austin on the Fourth of July, 1845, for the purpose of framing a constitution for the State of Texas, pp. 377-378. Austin: Miner & Cruger, printers to the Convention, 1845. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin), 2009.
Delegate to Constitutional Convention, 1868. Included in "List of Delegates to the Reconstruction Convention, As Announced in Special order No. 213, Dated Headquarters Fifth Military District, New Orleans, LA., April 13th, 1868." Journal of the Reconstruction Convention, Which Met at Austin, Texas, June 1, A.D., 1868 (1870), pp 533-534. Texas Constitutions Digitization Project (Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin), 2009.

Photographs

Photograph. James H. Armstrong, 13th Legislature, DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs
Photograph. James H. Armstrong, 13th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

13th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
13th session composite photo of Senate and House members (Ground floor elevator vestibule, east wall. GW.V3). State Preservation Board.
Pictorial Monogram of the State Government of Texas 1873 (DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Collection). DeGolyer Library, SMU, Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs.

Committee Information top

13th R.S. - 1873 Constitutional Amendments Education (Chair) Finance Impeachment Managers, Judge William Chambers, 1st Judicial District (Chair) Judiciary No. 2 Public Lands and Land Office Redistricting Tax Laws, Laws Regulating Fees of Office, and Costs Arising in Judicial Proceedings
6th R.S. - 1855 Constitutional Amendments, Select Counties and County Boundaries (Chair) Indian Affairs Judiciary Land Frauds, Select Public Lands
5th R.S. - 1853 Indian Affairs Judicial Districts Judiciary Land Office (Chair) Public Lands
4th R.S. - 1851 Apportionment Counties and County Boundaries Judiciary Land Titles West of the Nueces, Select Public Debt Public Lands (Chair)
2nd R.S. - 1847 Judiciary Land Office

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