- Archie Alexander
Archie Alphonso Alexander (
14 May ,1888 –4 January ,1958 ) was anAfrican-American mathematician andengineer and the first African-American graduate of theUniversity of Iowa . He was also a governor of theU.S. Virgin Islands .Alexander was born in
Ottumwa, Iowa , the son of a janitor and coachman. He initially went toDes Moines College and attempted to join the white-onlyAmerican football team there, but was declined. He subsequently transferred to theUniversity of Iowa and was permitted to join the football team there, playing as a tackle from 1910 to 1912.After graduation, Alexander worked as a foreman for a bridge-building company before going into business for himself in 1917. He studied bridge design in
London, England in 1921. In 1929, he formed Alexander & Repass where he would work until his death. They were responsible for the construction of many roads and bridges, including theWhitehurst Freeway , the Tidal BasinBridge , and an extension to theBaltimore-Washington Parkway . With his business partner, George Higbee, Alexander designed the Tuskegee Airfield and the Iowa State University heating and cooling system.In 1934, Alexander was appointed as one of a 12-member commission to investigate the social and economic conditions in
Haiti . In 1946, he was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Engineering byHoward University .In 1954, Alexander was appointed
Governor of the United States Virgin Islands by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower . He was the first Republican governor there since the establishment of the civil government. His tenure at the post was short and controversial. In 1955, he was highly criticized for favoring old business partners in contracts for road building on St. Thomas. TheUnited States House of Representatives launched a probe and he subsequently resigned onAugust 18 1955 , ostensibly for health reasons. He died in 1958, in Iowa.Non-recipient of the Spingarn Medal
Some sources, including Alexander's obituary in the
New York Times , incorrectly credit him as winner of theNAACP 'sSpingarn Medal in 1928. The award went to authorCharles W. Chesnutt that year; Alexander never received one.References
*
American National Biography , vol. 1, pp. 262-263.
*"Archie Alexander, Led Virgin Islands" (obituary), "New York Times", January 5, 1958
*"Ex-Governor of Virgin Islands dies in Iowa". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Jan 5, 1958. pg. 37, 1 pgs
*"Archie Alexander Dies". Washington, D.C.: Jan 6, 1958. pg. B2, 1 pgs
*MacTutor Biography|id=Alexander_Archie
* [http://www.nsbe.org/publicrelations/bhmonth3.php The National Society of Black Engineers]
* [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0800437.html Infoplease Archibald Alphonso Alexander]External links
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