Joshua Willis Alexander (January 22, 1852 – February 27, 1936) was

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

from December 16, 1919, to March 4, 1921, in the administration of President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

.TO SUCCEED W.C. REDFIELD.; Joshua W. Alexander of Missouri New Secretary of Commerce, The New York Times, Dec. 3, 1919

Biography

Born on January 22, 1852, in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, the son of Thomas Willis Alexander and Jane (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Robinson). Alexander attended Culver-Stockton College in

Canton, Missouri Canton is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,774 at the 2020 census. Canton is the home of Culver-Stockton College, a small liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It al ...

, and later moved to Gallatin,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, where he served as mayor and then as a state representative in the Missouri General Assembly (1883–1887). He served as a judge on Missouri's 17th Circuit until 1905. Alexander, a member of the

United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in eve ...

, served as a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Missouri from 1907 until his resignation to become Commerce Secretary in 1919. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and took a lead role in shaping wartime shipping legislation, which drew him to the attention of President Wilson.JW Alexander, Wilson Aide, Dies, The New York Times, Feb 28, 1936 He also gained prominence for his service as Chairman of the United States Commission to the international conference on the safety of life at sea in London in 1913.Judge Alexander, 84, Passes in Missouri, ''The Atlanta Constitution'', Feb 28, 1936 After his tenure as Secretary of Commerce, Alexander returned to the practice of law in Missouri. He served as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention in 1922-23. He died there on February 27, 1936, at the age of 84, eighteen years later, after retiring in Gallatin. Alexander was interred in Brown Cemetery in

Gallatin, Missouri Gallatin is a city in Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,821 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Daviess County. History The territory now known as the county of Daviess, was initially inhabited by Sacs, Foxes ...

. Joshua W. Alexander was a brother of the

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...

fraternity (Phi chapter).

Family

Alexander married, the former Roe Ann Richardson (February 3, 1859 - March 18, 1940), the daughter of a judge, on February 3, 1876. The couple had eight children. Alexander's son, aviator Walter Alexander, was killed in a propeller accident at

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from a ...

in 1920. Airplane Propeller Kills Walter Alexander, Aviator Son of the Secretary of Commerce, New York Times, Sept. 22, 1920 Another son,

George F. Alexander George Forest Alexander (April 10, 1882 – May 16, 1948) was an American judge of the United States territorial court for the Alaska Territory from 1933 to 1947. He was born in Gallatin, Missouri the son of future Secretary of Commerce Joshua W ...

, became a federal judge in

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Joshua W. 1852 births 1936 deaths Alexander, Joshua Willis People from Gallatin, Missouri Woodrow Wilson administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives