Holmes Moss Alexander (January 29, 1906 – December 5, 1985) was an American historian, journalist, syndicated columnist, and politician, originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia.[1]
Holmes Moss Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Member of Maryland House of Delegates | |
| In office 1931–1935 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 19, 1906 Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | December 5, 1985 (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Saint Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery in Owings Mills, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Morgan Barksdale Alexander |
| Residence(s) | Owings Mills, Maryland |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
| Occupation | Historian, journalist |
The son of Charles Butler Alexander, an insurance official, and Margaret (née Moss), Alexander was educated at Princeton (B.A. 1928) and Trinity College, Cambridge (1928-9). He worked as an English teacher and wrestling coach in Maryland until 1931.[2]
From 1931 to 1935, Alexander was a member of the all-Democratic delegation from Baltimore County to the Maryland House of Delegates.[3]
Typical of Alexander's newspaper columns was one that he wrote on Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who when term-limited in 1966 ran his wife, Lurleen Burns Wallace, as a surrogate gubernatorial candidate, against Republican U.S. Representative James D. Martin. Known for his opposition to school desegregation, Wallace procured passage of a series of state laws promptly struck down by federal courts, which required the implementation of Brown v. Board of Education. Alexander writes: "Though Wallace has lost every fight with Washington, Alabamians are convinced he has come off the winner."[4]
Alexander's books include The American Talleyrand: Martin Van Buren (1935), Aaron Burr: The Proud Pretender (1937), American Nabob (1939), and Selena: A Romantic Novel (1941). Other Alexander works include Pen and Politics: The Autobiography of a Working Writer, How to Read The Federalist, To Covet Honor: A Biography of Alexander Hamilton, The Spirit of '76, Washington and Lee: A Study in Will to Win, Seattle: Growth of the City, Tokyo: Growth of the City, Hong Kong: Growth of the City, Beijing: Growth of the City, Shanghai: Growth of the City, and Vancouver, British Columbia: The Growth of the City/State.[5] His last publication, Never Lose a War: Memoirs and Observations of a National Columnist, was released in 1984, the year before his death.
His maternal uncle, Hunter Holmes Moss, Jr., was a circuit judge and then a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia from 1913 until his death in 1916.[1]
Alexander was married to the former Mary Morgan Barksdale; they had two sons and a daughter.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Blair-Moss-Alexander family of West Virginia". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved August 31, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, vol. 2, R. Reginald, 1979, pg 793
- ^ "Archives of Maryland, Historical List, House of Delegates, Baltimore County (1790-1966)". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- ^ The Huntsville Times, October 14, 1966
- ^ "Holmes Alexander". librarything.com. Retrieved March 2, 2012.