James Sinclair Armstrong II CBE (October 15, 1915 – November 5, 2000) was an American banker and lawyer who served as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission between 1955 and 1957 and also served as a member from 1957 to 1961. He was Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) from 1957 to 1959. Early life Armstrong was born in Manhattan on October 15, 1915, and was christened at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in 1916. He was a son of lawyer Sinclair Howard Armstrong (1881–1980) and nutritionist Katharine Martin (née LeBoutillier) Armstrong (1886–1977). His brother was Dr. S. Howard Armstrong Jr. The family spent summers at his mother's farm in Washington, Connecticut and his father's camp on Chappaquiddick Island in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard His maternal grandparents were Sarah Graydon (née Martin) LeBoutillier and Charles LeBoutillier of 136 East 36th Street, was a partner in LeBoutillier Brothers, a family business that was one of the first retail chain stores in America. His paternal grandparents were James Sinclair Armstrong and Lizzie Howard (née Welsh) Armstrong. He graduated from Milton Academy in 1934, followed by Harvard College, where he served as editorial chairman of The Harvard Crimson and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Fox Club, before attending Harvard Law School. Career After his graduation from law school, he passed the New York State bar exam in June 1941 before being admitted to the Illinois bar in November 1941. He joined Isham Lincoln & Beale, a law firm in Chicago that was founded by Edward Swift Isham and Robert Todd Lincoln (son of President Abraham Lincoln). Armstrong was later made a partner in the firm, where he specialized in corporate securities. From 1942 to 1944, and again from 1946 to 1948, he studied accounting at Northwestern University. Public service From 1945 to 1946, he served in the Office of the General Counsel of the Navy in Washington, D.C. Between 1945 and 1946, he was on active duty with the U.S. Naval Reserve. In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower named him to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and from 1955 to 1957, he was chairman of the agency. While chairman, he was known for his work towards tougher rules the selling of stocks and bonds and for advertising. In February 1961, Armstrong wrote an editorial to The New York Times praising President Kennedy's appointment of