James Armstrong

James Armstrong (August 29, 1748 – May 6, 1828) was an American judge, politician, medical doctor, and slave owner.

Early life Armstrong was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on August 29, 1748. He was a son of Brigadier General and Continental Congressman John Armstrong and Rebecca (née Lyon) Armstrong (1719–1797). His older sister Rebecca Armstrong was the wife of James Turner and his younger brother was John Armstrong Jr., who became the U.S. Secretary of War and served as the Minister to France and a U.S. Senator from New York.

On September 12, 1808, he was appointed an associate judge of the Cumberland County Court.

John Wilkins Armstrong (1798–1870), a doctor who married Mary Susanna Shell (1813–1855) in 1825.

He was the uncle of Mrs. William Backhouse Astor Sr.

Descendants Through his son John, he was a grandfather of Mary Armstrong (1828–1898), wife of Christian Bowers Herman, and Cassius M. Armstrong (1846–1896), who married Jennie Hershman.