Alexander Winkler Bealer, III, known as Alex W. Bealer (March 6, 1921 – March 17, 1980), was an old-time craftsman of

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

and blacksmithing from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He authored ''The Art of Blacksmithing'' ''Old Ways of Working Wood'', ''The Tools That Built America'', and ''The Successful Craftsman.''.

Early life

Bealer was born on March 6, 1921, in

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had ...

. He was brought by his parents to Atlanta when he was two. He attended Boys Hill School and later

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

. He entered the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

began, where he was promoted to captain at the end of the war. He returned to service when the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

began.

Career

In the 1960s, he was involved in the

Georgia Republican Party The Georgia Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Georgia and one of the two major political parties in the state and is currently chaired by David Shafer. Current structure David Shafer is the current ...

, where he ran for chairman in 1964. He was defeated, and Joseph Tribble was elected chair.

Personal life

He married his Helen Eitel, on February 14, 1947. They remained married until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bealer, Alex W. 1921 births 1980 deaths American blacksmiths Writers from Atlanta American non-fiction writers Historians of the United States People from Valdosta, Georgia Artists from Atlanta Emory University alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marine Corps officers Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans People from Sandy Springs, Georgia 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male writers Historians from Georgia (U.S. state)