James M. Alexander (1815 - 1871)

Born 7 Feb 1815 in Virginia, United States [uncertain]

Died 27 May 1871 at age 56 in Arkansas, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

James Alexander is Notable.

James M. Alexander was a successful businessperson and the first African-American justice of the peace in Arkansas.^[1]

James Alexander was born into slavery about 1820 in either Virginia ^[2]or North Carolina. ^[3]After they moved to Arkansas, his enslaver allowed Alexander to establish his own barbershop. His business prospered and grew to include the sale of dry goods, yet he remained in bondage until he purchased his own freedom and that of several family members in 1860. After the war, Alexander was active in Republican politics and served in a number of political offices in Helena, Arkansas including as postmaster, school trustee, grand jury member, and as a representative to the Arkansas House of Representatives

Research Note

Need to find slave owner

Sources

1. ↑ Foner, Eric (1996). Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction. Louisiana State University Press. p. 4
2. ↑ https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/alexander-john-hanks-1864-1894/
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._Alexander

• Wikipedia contributors. (2022, September 20). James M. Alexander. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:40, December 10, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_M._Alexander&oldid=1111257969
• 1870 Census: "1870 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1870; Census Place: St Francis, Phillips, Arkansas; Roll: M593_60; Page: 140B
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7163 #12320835 (accessed 7 December 2022)
  James Alexander, Justice of Peace, in St Francis, Phillips, Arkansas. Born in Virginia.