Bill Alexander | |
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| House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Leader | Tip O'Neill |
| Preceded by | Dan Rostenkowski |
| Succeeded by | David Bonior |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Ezekiel C. Gathings |
| Succeeded by | Blanche Lincoln |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Vollie Alexander Jr. (1934-01-16)January 16, 1934 (age 91) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Gwen Haven Debi Drury |
| Education | University of Arkansas Rhodes College (BA) Vanderbilt University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1955 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Army Judge Advocate General's Corps |
William Vollie Alexander Jr. (born January 16, 1934) is an American retiredpolitician who represented theU.S. state ofArkansas in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1993, rising to the post ofChief Deputy Majority Whip.
Alexander was born inMemphis, Tennessee to Spencer (née Buck) and William Vollie Alexander He grew up inOsceola, Arkansas, graduating fromOsceola High School in 1951, and became anEagle Scout the same year.
He attended theUniversity of Arkansas atFayetteville, where he was a member ofKappa Sigma fraternity, before earning aB.A. from Southwestern at Memphis University (nowRhodes College) in 1957 and aLL.B fromVanderbilt University Law School inNashville in 1960.
He subsequentlyclerked for JudgeMarion S. Boyd of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.[1][2] He served in theU.S. Army JAG Corps.
Alexander practiced law in Memphis and Osceola, was a commissioner on the Arkansas Waterways Commission, and secretary of the Osceola Port Authority.
He was elected as aDemocrat fromArkansas's 1st congressional district in 1968, succeeding thirty-year incumbentEzekiel C. "Took" Gathings, who retired, and would subsequently be reelected eleven additional times. In the House, he served in the Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Majority Whip from 1981 to 1987, and was a member of theHouse Appropriations Committee, where he was active on issues involving agriculture, energy and foreign trade.[1][2]
In 1992, theArkansas Democrat-Gazette published a story accusing Alexander of misusing campaign funds, although these transactions were later found to be legal. Nonetheless, he was defeated for re-nomination by a wide margin byBlanche Lambert (later to be known as Blanche Lincoln), a former staff assistant to Alexander, who went on to win the general election in November.[1]
Alexander and his wife, Debi Alexander, today live inReston, Virginia.[1] They have two children, William Phillips Alexander and Natasha Alexander.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas's 1st congressional district 1969–1993 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip 1981–1987 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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