Armstead Milton Alexander (May 26, 1834 – November 7, 1892) was a lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

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He was born in Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,724 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, and later graduated from Bethany College

Bethany College (West Virginia)

Bethany College is a private liberal arts college located in Bethany, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1840, Bethany is the oldest institution of Higher Education in West Virginia.-Location:...

. Around 1848, he moved to the Paris, Missouri

Paris, Missouri

Paris is a city in Monroe County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,529 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Paris is located at...

, area to become a blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

. In 1849, he joined the California gold rush

California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...

, returning later to Paris, Missouri, to engage in business. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he sided with the Confederacy

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

, and served in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

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In 1870, he was admitted to the bar of Missouri, and starting practicing in the Paris area, although he did not sign the record there until 1881. During this time, he served as prosecuting attorney for Monroe County from 1872 through 1876, and was a delegate to the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1875.

He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1883, and served there through 1885. He returned to Paris, Missouri, and died there in 1892.