J. Sinclair Armstrong

James Sinclair Armstrong II CBE (October 15, 1915 – November 5, 2000) was an American banker and lawyer who served as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission between 1955 and 1957 and also served as a member from 1957 to 1961. He was Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) from 1957 to 1959.

Early life Armstrong was born in Manhattan on October 15, 1915, and was christened at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in 1916.

His maternal grandparents were Sarah Graydon (née Martin) LeBoutillier and Charles LeBoutillier of 136 East 36th Street, was a partner in LeBoutillier Brothers, a family business that was one of the first retail chain stores in America. His paternal grandparents were James Sinclair Armstrong and Lizzie Howard (née Welsh) Armstrong.

He graduated from Milton Academy in 1934, followed by Harvard College, where he served as editorial chairman of The Harvard Crimson and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Fox Club, before attending Harvard Law School. and from 1955 to 1957, he was chairman of the agency. While chairman, he was known for his work towards tougher rules the selling of stocks and bonds and for advertising.

In 1957, Eisenhower appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Comptroller of the Navy Department to succeed William B. Franke (who became Under Secretary of the Navy). While Assistant Secretary, he is known for his efforts to establish controls to rein in costs while the Navy was adapting to nuclear power, missiles, and rockets.

Later career On January 2, 1959, Armstrong left public office to become executive vice president of The United States Trust Company in New York, where he handled the banking for securities and law firms.

Personal life Armstrong was married four times, with his first three ending in divorce. On June 30, 1940, he was married to debutante Elisabeth Stillman (–1973) at Christ Protestant Episcopal Church in Watertown, Connecticut. Elisabeth was the daughter of the former Katherine Chase and Dr. Edgar Stillman, whose summer home in Watertown, known as Highfield, hosted the wedding reception. Together, they were the parents of two girls and three boys, including:

Katherine Chase Armstrong, who resided in Bronxville, New York in 2000.

On May 12, 1973, he was married to Radcliffe and Bryn Mawr College graduate Joan Estelle (née Carroll) Evans in Milton, Massachusetts. Joan, the widow of banker Dwight D. Evans, was a daughter of Dr. Henry G. Carroll, a surgeon.

On November 22, 1978, he married for the fourth time to Charlotte P. (née Horwood) Faircloth in New York City. Charlotte, a daughter of Dr. Murray P. Horwood (a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor), was also a Harvard Law graduate who practiced with Cravath, Swaine & Moore before serving in the tax division of the Department of Justice.

Armstrong died in New York City on November 5, 2000.