Armstrong, William N.

Admitted to New York Bar, 1859; practiced law in New York City until 1866; 1880 appointed Attorney General of Hawaii by King Kalakaua, and Minister of the Interior; resigned in 1881; 1893 returned to Hawaii and in 1894 became Chairman of Hawaiian Government Labor Commission; visited Japan in 1895 and took part in formation of the Republic as "advisor to the government."

From the description of William Nevins Armstrong papers, 1869-1929 (inclusive); 1869-1906 (bulk). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702165955

Admitted to New York Bar, 1859; practiced law in New York City until 1866; 1880 appointed Attorney General of Hawaii by King Kalakaua, and Minister of the Interior; resigned in 1881; 1893 returned to Hawaii and in 1894 became Chairman of Hawaiian Government Labor Commission; visited Japan in 1895 and took part in formation of the Republic as "advisor to the government".

William Nevins Armstrong, 1835–1905

1858

William Nevins Armstrong, son of Rev. Richard Armstrong, D.D. (Dickinson 1827), missionary in the Hawaiian Islands, was born in Honolulu, March 10, 1835, but received hisearly education in Phillips (Andover) Academy. His mother was Clarissa (Chapman) Armstrong.

After graduation he studied law in Springfield, Mass., under his uncle, Chief Justice Chapman, was admitted to the bar in New York in May 1859 and for six years and a half practiced there as a member of the firm of Wheeler & Armstrong. After this he engaged in a number of manufacturing and other enterprises until October 1880, when he accepted the invitations of his former playmate, King Kalakaua, to become Attorney-General of the Hawaiian Islands. Shortly after reaching there he accompanied the king as "Minister of State" in his ten months trip aroudn the world, meeting emperors, kings, and other rulers, and having many unique experiences. As a result of this trip he published in 1904 the volume, Around the world with a King .

Upon his return to the Hawaiian Islands, he added to his duties as Attorney-General that of Minister of the Interior, and ni filling the two offices, met novel questions and puzzling situations. After six months he resigned, but in 1893 returned to Honolulu for his health, and in 1894 became editor of the Commercial Advertiser and Hawaiian Gazette . He was also chairman of the Hawaiian Government Labor Commission, and in the interest of the commission visited Japan in the summer of 1895. He took part in the formation of the Republic and usually attended the Cabinet meetings, as "the adviesr of the government." He was a member of the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, conferred upon him by the Emperor of Japan and entitling him to an audience with the Emperor once a year and to a military funeral. He also received orders commesurate with his rank from Siam, Portugal, and the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Since 1903 he had resided in Washington, D.C., where he died of catarrh of the liver at the Garfield Hospital, October 15, 1905, at the age of 70 years. He was buried in the Island of Hawaii.

He married in New York City, April 10, 1867, Mary Frances, daughter of Captain Elisha Ely Morgan. She was also a sister of his classmate, William Dare Morgan, and of Charles Leslie Morgan (Yale 1867). They had three sons, of whom the second and third sons were graduates of the Sheffield Scientific School in 1895 and 1901 respectively, and a daughter. Mr. Armstrong was a brother of General Samuel Chapman Armstrong (Williams 1862), founder of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.

From the guide to the William Nevins Armstrong papers, 1869-1929, 1869-1906, (Manuscripts and Archives)