William Cowper Alexander
Encyclopedia
William Cowper Alexander (May 20, 1806 – August 23, 1874) was an American
lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
.
, the second son of noted Presbyterian theologian Archibald Alexander
and his wife Janetta Waddel. His elder brother James Waddel Alexander
(1804–1859) would also become a Presbyterian theologian and minister. Another brother, Joseph Addison Alexander
(1809–1860), would become a biblical scholar.
Alexander's father was president of Hampden-Sydney College
in Virginia before being called to serve as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1807. The family then moved to Princeton, New Jersey
when Archibald Alexander was named the first professor of the Princeton Theological Seminary
in 1812.
Alexander graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
) in 1824 and was admitted to the bar of New Jersey as an attorney in 1828. He opened an office in Princeton and attended to his professional business there for about thirty years. He also joined the militia company known as the Princeton Blues and achieved the rank of colonel.
in 1836 as a Democrat from Middlesex County
(before the formation of Mercer County
). In 1851 he succeeded Charles Smith Olden
as a member of the New Jersey Senate
from Mercer County, serving as president of that body for four terms.
In 1856 he was drafted to run as the Democratic
candidate for Governor of New Jersey
. He lost to the Republican
candidate William A. Newell
by less than 3,000 votes.
Alexander was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention
and at the second Convention in Baltimore
he received one vote for the Vice Presidency. He was a delegate to the Peace Conference of 1861
, after which time he withdrew from political life and devoted himself to a career as a life insurance
executive.
when it was organized in 1859. His brother, Presbyterian minister James Waddel Alexander
, had become the patron of Equitable founder Henry Baldwin Hyde
, and many of the company's original directors were members of Rev. Alexander's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
.
Alexander did not assume an active role in management of Equitable business, leaving that to the much younger Hyde, who was named vice president and manager. Alexander served as president until his death at his New York City
residence in 1874 at the age of 68. He was succeeded by Hyde and then by his nephew James Waddell Alexander (1839-1915) after Hyde's death in 1899.
Alexander never married. He was buried in the family plot at Princeton Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, also known as The Equitable, was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. In 1991, AXA, a French insurance company, acquired majority control of The Equitable...
.
Early life
Alexander was born in 1806 in Prince Edward County, VirginiaPrince Edward County, Virginia
Prince Edward County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,368. Its county seat is Farmville.-Formation and County Seats:...
, the second son of noted Presbyterian theologian Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
and his wife Janetta Waddel. His elder brother James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander.-Early life:...
(1804–1859) would also become a Presbyterian theologian and minister. Another brother, Joseph Addison Alexander
Joseph Addison Alexander
Joseph Addison Alexander was an American biblical scholar.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third son of Archibald Alexander and brother to James Waddel Alexander and William Cowper Alexander....
(1809–1860), would become a biblical scholar.
Alexander's father was president of Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
in Virginia before being called to serve as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia in 1807. The family then moved to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
when Archibald Alexander was named the first professor of the Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
in 1812.
Alexander graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) in 1824 and was admitted to the bar of New Jersey as an attorney in 1828. He opened an office in Princeton and attended to his professional business there for about thirty years. He also joined the militia company known as the Princeton Blues and achieved the rank of colonel.
Political career
Alexander never obtained his license as counsellor and took a greater interest in politics than law. He entered the New Jersey General AssemblyNew Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
in 1836 as a Democrat from Middlesex County
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
(before the formation of Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
). In 1851 he succeeded Charles Smith Olden
Charles Smith Olden
Charles Smith Olden was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 19th Governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War.-Biography:...
as a member of the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
from Mercer County, serving as president of that body for four terms.
In 1856 he was drafted to run as the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
. He lost to the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate William A. Newell
William A. Newell
William Augustus Newell , was an American physician and politician, who was a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives, served as a Republican as the 18th Governor of New Jersey, and as Governor of the Washington Territory from 1880-1884...
by less than 3,000 votes.
Alexander was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention
1860 Democratic National Convention
The 1860 Democratic National Convention was one of the crucial events in the lead-up to the American Civil War. Following a fragmented official Democratic National Convention that was adjourned in deadlock, two more presidential nominating conventions took place: a resumed official convention,...
and at the second Convention in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
he received one vote for the Vice Presidency. He was a delegate to the Peace Conference of 1861
Peace conference of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...
, after which time he withdrew from political life and devoted himself to a career as a life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
executive.
Business career
Alexander was chosen President of the Equitable Life Assurance SocietyAXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, also known as The Equitable, was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. In 1991, AXA, a French insurance company, acquired majority control of The Equitable...
when it was organized in 1859. His brother, Presbyterian minister James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander.-Early life:...
, had become the patron of Equitable founder Henry Baldwin Hyde
Henry Baldwin Hyde
Henry Baldwin Hyde, , founded The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States in 1859. It became, by the year of Hyde's death, the largest life insurance company in the world....
, and many of the company's original directors were members of Rev. Alexander's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church . The church was founded in 1808 as the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church and has been located on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street in midtown Manhattan since 1875. It has approximately 3,250 members from a variety...
.
Alexander did not assume an active role in management of Equitable business, leaving that to the much younger Hyde, who was named vice president and manager. Alexander served as president until his death at his New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
residence in 1874 at the age of 68. He was succeeded by Hyde and then by his nephew James Waddell Alexander (1839-1915) after Hyde's death in 1899.
Alexander never married. He was buried in the family plot at Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery is located in Borough of Princeton, New Jersey. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as: "The Westminster Abbey of the United States."...
.
External links
- William C. Alexander at The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...