Sir James Ulick Francis Canning Alexander (10 February 1889 – 4 April 1973) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer, businessman and courtier in several of the

Royal Households of the United Kingdom The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, ...

Early life and education

He was the son of James Alexander and Lady Emily Boyle, daughter of

Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork Richard Edmund St Lawrence Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork and Orrery KP, PC (19 April 1829 – 22 June 1904), styled Viscount Dungarvan between 1834 and 1856, was a British courtier and Liberal politician. In a ministerial career spanning between ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, before attending the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

Career

In 1909 Alexander commissioned into the Coldstream Guards. He first saw active service during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which he was attached to the Egyptian Army and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. In 1919 he made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in recognition of his wartime service. Between 1920 and 1921 he was Military Secretary for the Egyptian Army. From 1923 to 1925 he served as Political Secretary to

Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone Major General Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George; born Prince Alexander of Teck; 14 April 1874 – 16 January 1957), was a British Army commander and major-general who served as Governor- ...

while he was Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. In 1925 he was invested as a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

. Between 1928 and 1936 Alexander was Comptroller of the Household to Prince George, Duke of Kent, and was made a CVO in 1932. In 1934 he was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

. In 1936 Alexander held the office of Keeper of the Privy Purse and

Extra Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

, and he retained the role during the reign of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

from 1936 to 1952; among his duties was allocating 'Grace and Favour' Apartments in the Royal Palaces. In 1937 he was knighted as KCVO, and he was made

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in 1947. He was furthered honoured as a GCVO in 1948. Also in 1948 he received the King George VI Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...

for 20 years of service to the British Royal Family. Following the accession of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, Alexander became an Extra Equerry in her household and a

Privy Councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1952. In 1953 he was honoured as a GCB. From 1952 to 1957 he was Chairman of

Tanganyika Concessions Tanganyika Concessions Limited (TCL or Tanks) was a British mining and railway company founded by the Scottish engineer and entrepreneur Robert Williams in 1899. The purpose was to exploit minerals in Northern Rhodesia and in the Congo Free Sta ...

, and served as its director from 1957 to 1963. From 1952 to 1964 he was director of the Benguela Railway Company, and from 1954 to 1963 he was director of the Union Minière du Haut Katanga. In 1957 he served as a director of the Banque Belge.

Marriage

Alexander married Lady Mary Beatrice Thynne, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath and Violet Caroline Mordaunt, on 27 November 1947.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Ulick 1889 births 1973 deaths British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century British businesspeople Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Coldstream Guards officers English courtiers Equerries Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College