Moses K. Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Moses Kimball Armstrong was an American
surveyor who served as a delegate from Dakota Territory
to the United States House of Representatives
.
Armstrong was born in Milan
, Erie County, Ohio
. He attended the Huron Institute
in Milan and Western Reserve College
in Cleveland, Ohio
, then moved to the Minnesota
Territory in 1856. He was elected surveyor of Mower County
, and was assigned to survey federal lands.
Armstrong later moved to Yankton
, then a small Native American
village, in Dakota Territory, when Minnesota Territory was admitted as a State. He was a member of the first Territorial House of Representatives in 1861, and was reelected in 1862 and 1863, serving as speaker in 1863. He became editor of the Dakota Union newspaper in 1864, was appointed clerk of the territorial Supreme Court in 1865, and was elected to the territorial council in 1866 and in 1867, chosen as president.
He acted as secretary of the Indian peace commission in 1867. Continuing as a surveyor, he established the great meridian and standard lines for United States
surveys in southern Dakota and in the northern Red River
Valley. He was again elected to the Territorial council in 1869, and was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives
from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875.
Armstrong was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874, and moved to St. James
, Watonwan County, Minnesota
, where he engaged in banking and in real estate
.
He died at Albert Lea, Minnesota
, and is buried in the Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surveyor who served as a delegate from Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
to 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...
.
Armstrong was born in Milan
Milan, Ohio
Milan is a village in Erie and Huron counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,445 at the 2000 census.The Erie County portion of Milan is part of the Sandusky Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History...
, Erie County, Ohio
Erie County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,551 people, 31,727 households, and 21,764 families residing in the county. The population density was 312 people per square mile . There were 35,909 housing units at an average density of 141 per square mile...
. He attended the Huron Institute
Huron Institute
The Huron Institute was a school located in Milan in the U.S. state of Ohio, in what was then Huron County. The Huron Institute owed its existence to the extensive revivals of religion in the churches of Huron Presbytery in the years 1830 and 1831. The Institute was incorporated by act of the Ohio...
in Milan and Western Reserve College
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, then moved to the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Territory in 1856. He was elected surveyor of Mower County
Mower County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,603 people, 15,582 households, and 10,315 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
, and was assigned to survey federal lands.
Armstrong later moved to Yankton
Yankton, South Dakota
Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans...
, then a small Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
village, in Dakota Territory, when Minnesota Territory was admitted as a State. He was a member of the first Territorial House of Representatives in 1861, and was reelected in 1862 and 1863, serving as speaker in 1863. He became editor of the Dakota Union newspaper in 1864, was appointed clerk of the territorial Supreme Court in 1865, and was elected to the territorial council in 1866 and in 1867, chosen as president.
He acted as secretary of the Indian peace commission in 1867. Continuing as a surveyor, he established the great meridian and standard lines for United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surveys in southern Dakota and in the northern Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
Valley. He was again elected to the Territorial council in 1869, and was elected as a Democrat to 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 March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875.
Armstrong was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874, and moved to St. James
St. James, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,695 people, 1,845 households, and 1,186 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,050.3 people per square mile . There were 2,006 housing units at an average density of 876.0 per square mile...
, Watonwan County, Minnesota
Watonwan County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, where he engaged in banking and in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
He died at Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
, and is buried in the Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.