Alexander was the first Charlottean to be elected North Carolina's governor. Born in Mecklenburg County, he was first educated in a log schoolhouse but graduated from Princeton University at the age of 20.
During the Revolutionary War despite a scarcity of medical supplies, he was a surgeon with the NC Regiment of the Continental Army fighting the British. He practiced medicine in South Carolina after the war but returned to Charlotte. He was elected to the NC House of Commons (1797), the state Senate (1801 and 1802) and the U.S. Congress (1803-05).
Alexander resigned his seat in Congress when he became governor of North Carolina. He was a supporter of education and served as the president of the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina.
He married Margaret Polk, daughter of Mecklenburg patriot Col. Thomas Polk, but they had no children. Alexander lived only to age 52, but was well-liked among the citizens he served. He is buried at Old Settlers' Cemetery.
