George Ferguson Armstrong (September 25, 1868 – January 24, 1924) was an American businessman. In 1918, he built Armstrong House (known today as Armstrong Kessler Mansion) in Savannah, Georgia.
George Ferguson Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 Armstrong pictured around 1910 | |
| Born | September 25, 1868 Guyton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | 24 January 1924 (aged 55) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Spouse | Lucy Mae Camp (1905–1924; his death) |
Early life
editArmstrong was born in 1868 to Benjamin Remington Armstrong and Eliza M. Ferguson, the youngest of their four children.[1] A fifth child, John Remington, was born two years before George, but died in infancy.
After studying at Chatham Academy, he completed a one-year of postgraduate work under Professor H. F. Train.[2]
Career
editIn 1886, Armstrong began working for Savannah oil merchants Blodgett, Moore & Company.[1]
Armstrong became vice-president of Strachan & Company, a Savannah shipping company,[3] having started with the company as a clerk in 1887.[4] He was also president of the Mutual Mining Company, extractors and shippers of Florida phosphate, and a director of the Hibernia Bank and of the Commercial Life Insurance and Casualty Company.
He is credited with the development of the Port of Savannah. In 1910, he began a three-term stint a Commissioner of Pilotage in Savannah.[2]
Personal life
edit
In 1888, Armstrong enlisted as a private in the Chatham Artillery, and served in the Spanish–American War.[5] He later became second-lieutenant of his company.[1]
In 1905, he married Lucy Mae Camp, with whom he had one child: daughter Lucy Camp Armstrong.[1]
In 1918, Armstrong had built today's Armstrong House, at the corner of Bull Street and Gaston Street in Savannah, on the northern edge of Forsyth Park.[6] It was designed by noted architect Henrik Wallin.[7]
Armstrong was a member of The Oglethorpe Club, located directly across Bull Street from Armstrong House, and the Savannah Cotton Exchange.[1]
Death
editArmstrong died early in the new year of 1924, from lung cancer, aged 55.[8] He was interred in Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery. Despite her having married Carl Jerome Moltz after Armstrong's death, Lucy Mae was buried beside her first husband upon her death in 1970, at the age of 87.
His widow and daughter donated Armstrong House to Armstrong Junior College at the request of Savannah mayor Thomas Gamble.[9][10][7][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, in three volumes (1906) Volume 1, pp. 75 and 76
- ^ a b Association, Georgia Biographical (1920). The Book of Georgia: A Work for Press Reference. The Association. p. 418.
- ^ a b "Armstrong Mansion - Digital Library of Georgia". dlg.usg.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Guyette, Diana (1991-05-01). "A Research Paper on George Ferguson Armstrong". Savannah Biographies.
- ^ Toledano, Roulhac (1997-04-03). The National Trust Guide to Savannah. John Wiley & Sons. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-471-15568-3.
- ^ Triplett, Whip Morrison (2006). Savannah. Arcadia Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7385-4209-6.
- ^ a b Meunier, Danielle (2020-04-16). "Armstrong-Kessler Mansion". The Georgia Trust. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Stories Set in Stone: Savannah and Her Unique Architecture – Savannah Morning News special publication
- ^ Nussbaum, “A century of Savannah history.”
- ^ Stone, From the Mansion to the University, 7, 15.