Joshua Alexander | |
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| 2ndUnited States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office December 16, 1919 – March 4, 1921 | |
| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | William C. Redfield |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Hoover |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1907 – December 15, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Frank B. Klepper |
| Succeeded by | Jacob L. Milligan |
| Member of theMissouri House of Representatives | |
| In office 1883–1887 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joshua Willis Alexander (1852-01-22)January 22, 1852 Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 1936(1936-02-27) (aged 84) Gallatin,Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Roe Richardson |
| Children | 8, includingGeorge |
| Education | Culver-Stockton College (BA) |
Joshua Willis Alexander (January 22, 1852 – February 27, 1936) wasUnited States secretary of commerce from December 16, 1919, to March 4, 1921, in the administration of PresidentWoodrow Wilson.[1]
Born on January 22, 1852, inCincinnati, Ohio, the son of Thomas Willis Alexander and Jane (née Robinson). Alexander attendedCulver-Stockton College inCanton, Missouri, and later moved toGallatin, Missouri, where he served as mayor and then as a state representative in the Missouri General Assembly (1883–1887).[1] He served as a judge on Missouri's 17th Circuit until 1905.[1]
Alexander, a member of theUnited States Democratic Party, served as aUnited States representative from Missouri from 1907 until his resignation to become Commerce Secretary in 1919.[1] He served as chairman of theHouse 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.[2] 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.[3]
After his tenure as Secretary of Commerce, Alexander returned to the practice of law in Missouri.[3] 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.[3] Alexander was interred in Brown Cemetery in Gallatin.
Joshua W. Alexander was a brother of theDelta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Phi chapter).
Alexander married, the former Roe Ann Richardson (February 3, 1859 - March 18, 1940), the daughter of a judge, on February 3, 1876.[3] The couple had eight children.[3]
Alexander's son, aviator Walter Alexander, was killed in a propeller accident atBolling Field in 1920.[4] Another son,George F. Alexander, became a federal judge inJuneau, Alaska.[2]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 3rd congressional district 1907–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Merchant Marine Committee 1911–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Commerce 1919–1921 | Succeeded by |
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