Obituaries:  Amos Lee Armstrong, Sabine Parish       A-652
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., May 8, 1969
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net


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Amos Lee Armstrong

  A Sabine Parish native, Amos Lee Armstrong, 69, of Shreveport,
artist laureate of Louisiana, died at 1:20 p.m., Thursday, May 1,
in Shreveport, after a lengthy illness.

  Mr. Armstrong was born near Many, and attended Many High School.
His first job was working for the "Sabine Index".

  Funeral services were held Saturday, at 10 a.m., at Osborn
Funeral Home Chapel in Shreveport, with Dr. James W. Middleton,
pastor of the First Baptist Church, and Msgr. John C. Vandegaer
of Shreveport officiating.

  Burial was in Many Cemetery, at 1 p.m., with the W. H. Booth
Masonic Lodge in charge of graveside rites.

  Among survivors is a sister, Miss Daisy Armstrong of Many.

  With state ancestry dating back for six generations, Mr.
Armstrong had lived in Shreveport since 1918, except for brief
periods when he lived in New York City and New Orleans. His
ancestors were among the first Acadians who settled the state of
Louisiana.

  Mr. Armstrong was commissioned by legislative act, in 1952, as
the first Artist Laureate of Louisiana, for his services to
Louisiana art. He achieved national prominence as an artist with
his historical paintings of "First Caddo Court and Jail", and
"First Caddo Oil Well". He began research for the paintings in
1922, and began the actual paintings in 1951.

  The artist laureate illustrated an historical novel by the late
Mrs. Maude ? O'Pry. Mr. Armstrong had said that he first started
research for his historical paintings when asked to do a series
of illustrations for a history of this area by Mrs. O'Pry.

  In 1955, Mr. Armstrong was commissioned to paint an official
portrait for the State Supreme Court Archives of Justice Joe B.
Hamiter. The State Supreme Court also commissioned Armstrong to
restore old portraits of other justices when the court moved into
new quarters.

  The artist was a candidate for state representative in 1954. At
that time, he was the Louisiana president of the American Artists
Professional League in new York City. This national organization
named him in 1953, as one of the ten American artists to be cited
for "unselfish services rendered to American art".

  He was a geological draftsman in the oil industry, in
Shreveport, for 30 years. His slogan, when running for state
representative office was "Peace Produces Prosperity". He said at
the time that he believed in leading the government from the
turmoil and strife of war, down to the paths of peace. He knew of
war, as he was a veteran of both World War I and World War II.

  The artist was presented the highest award for landscape
painting in a statewide exhibition, at Louisiana State
University. His work was exhibited at the World's Fair in New
York City, in the Anderson, Montross, and Waldorf Astoria
galleries, and in numerous southern cities.

  Mr. Armstrong was the first director of the Louisiana State
Exhibit Museum building during the first year it was open. He is
listed in "Who's Who in American Art", and "Who's Who in
Louisiana Art".

  Founder, and first president of the Shreveport Art Club, the
artist laureate was the first director of both the Monroe and
DeSoto Sketch Clubs. He was a member of the American Association
of Museums, and was represented in the history of Shreveport,
during the city's centennial celebrations.

  A member of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, he was a
member of Lowe-McFarlane Post No. 14 of the American Legion, the
W. H. Booth Masonic Lodge, and Farmerville Chapter No. 207 Order
of the Eastern Star.