William Armstrong (politician)

William Armstrong (born December 23, 1782 in Lisburn , Ireland , †  May 10, 1865 in Keyser , West Virginia ) was an Irish- American politician . Between 1825 and 1833 he represented the state of Virginia in the US House of Representatives .

Career

William Armstrong, who was born in what is now Northern Ireland , came to the United States with his parents in 1792 , where the family settled in Virginia. He studied law and worked as a tax collector in 1818 and 1819. At the same time he embarked on a political career. In the 1820s he joined the movement against Andrew Jackson and later became a member of the National Republican Party . He served in the Virginia House of Representatives in 1822 and 1823 .

In the congressional election of 1824 Armstrong was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 16th  constituency of Virginia , where he succeeded Andrew Stevenson on March 4, 1825 . After three re-elections, he was able to complete four legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1833 . Since President Jackson took office in 1829, there has been heated debate inside and outside of Congress about its policies. It was about the controversial enforcement of the Indian Removal Act , the conflict with the state of South Carolina , which culminated in the nullification crisis , and the banking policy of the president.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, William Armstrong worked in the hospitality industry in Romney , which fell to the state of West Virginia in 1863. He died on May 10, 1865 in Keyser and was buried in Romney.

Web links

• William Armstrong in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William Armstrong in the database of Find a Grave (English)