Alexander H. Graham (August 9, 1890 – April 3, 1977) was a North Carolina attorney and politician who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 1933 to 1937 under Governor John C. B. Ehringhaus. Graham was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina on August 9, 1890. His father, Major John Washington Graham, was a five-term

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

. His grandfather, William Alexander Graham, had served as governor, United States senator, and Secretary of the Navy. A. H. Graham, a graduate of

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, served in the U.S. Army during World War I and later was elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

(1921–30). He was elected

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

in 1929. In 1930, Graham chaired the search committee that hired Frank Porter Graham (no known relation) as president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Limited to one term as lieutenant governor by the state constitution of the time, Graham ran for governor in 1936, but came in third in the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

primary, behind winner Clyde R. Hoey and runner-up Ralph W. McDonald.OurCampaigns.com
/ref> Graham later served as head of the State Highway and Public Works Commission (1945–1949 and 1953–1957).

References

at the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Political Graveyard
1890 births 1977 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Lieutenant Governors of North Carolina North Carolina lawyers People from Hillsborough, North Carolina Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub