John Alexander was Chief Clerk to Bow Street Magistrates' Court

Bow Street Magistrates' Court

Bow Street Magistrates' Court was the most famous magistrates' court in England for much of its existence, and was located in various buildings on Bow Street in central London close to Covent Garden throughout its history.-History:...

, then called Bow Street Police Court (as seen in Alexander's summons to James McNeil Whistler ), and simultaneously, as was then the custom, Editor of the Police Gazette

Police Gazette (UK)

The Police Gazette was a magazine produced in London from 1772 onwards, for circulation among all the police forces of Britain. Its primary purpose was to publish notices of wanted criminals with requests for information, and where appropriate to offer rewards -History:'The Quarterly Pursuit' was...

in England from 1877 until his retirement in 1895.

John Alexander was born in Wooler

Wooler

Wooler is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, by the Cheviot Hills and so is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots"...

, Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, son of country physician and surgeon James Alexander (1797–1863). He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh. Both his sisters married famous doctors: Christina Margaret (1833–1907) married Sir John Struthers

John Struthers (anatomist)

Sir John Struthers, LRCSE, MD, LLD, FRCSE, FRSE was Professor of Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen....

, best known for his drawings of a beached whale; Margaret Agnes (1841–1911) married John Ivor Murray

John Ivor Murray

Dr John Ivor Murray was a Scottish surgeon who practised in China, Hong Kong and then in Sebastopol in the Crimean War. He was notably adventurous, travelling through Borneo, collecting for the Natural History Museum in Edinburgh , and serving on scientific expeditions to China.-Career:After...

, who built a hospital in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 and became Colonial Surgeon in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

.

John Alexander oversaw many famous trials of the Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 period including the Fenians (who dynamited Clerkenwell Prison and attacked the House of Commons, London Bridge

London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...

, and the Tower of London

Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...

 among other places), and Johann Most

Johann Most

Johann Joseph Most was a German-American politician, newspaper editor, and orator. He is credited with popularizing the concept of "Propaganda of the deed". His grandson was Boston Celtics radio play-by-play man Johnny Most...

 the German anarchist.

His wife, Mary Elizabeth Thwaites (1846–1923) was the eldest daughter of the engineer and founder of the Vulcan Iron Works

Vulcan Iron Works

Since Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and smithery, the name was an obvious choice for an iron foundry or mechanical engineering works in the nineteenth century, both in England, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and in the United States.-England:...

 at Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

, Robinson Thwaites

Robinson Thwaites

Robinson Thwaites was a nineteenth century mechanical engineer and mill-owner in Bradford, Yorkshire. His father, Thomas Thwaites, was a master plumber...

.