Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/803

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 695 ucation in its preliminary stages. He subse- quently matriculated in Marvin College at Frederiektown, and was graduated from the Will Mayfield College at Marble Hall in 1905, taking the degree of Bachelor of Science. After graduating he returned to Bismarck and in April, 1908, he bought the office of The Bismarck Gazette. Although young in years, he has given evidence in the manage- ment of its affairs of a sound judgment and an editorial ability of decidedly promising order. The paper, independent in policy, has a local subscription list of five hundred, and its advent into the many homes of the little city and its environs is each week eagerly awaited. ^Ir. Bisplinghoff still resides at the paren- tal home, having not yet become a recruit to the Benedicts. He is Democratic in his po- litical faith, as his father and grandfather have been before him, and his lodge member- ship is with the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Court of Honor and the Rebekahs. Harry E. Alexander, although a young man, has already shown the citizens of Cape Girardeau the mettle there is in him. He is a man who is calculated to be a power for good in the community. Most people are consumed with anxiety as to what others will think of their actions and will govern their conduct according to other people's ideas of what it should be. On the other hand, some men are utterly regardless of what other peo- ple may think and in order to show their dis- regard for public opinion they go ahead and do exactly the opposite to the approved, gen- erally accepted methods of procedure. Mr. Alexander is one of the small class of men who have hit the happy medium. He takes pains to find oi^t in his own mind the course he intends to follow and he pursues that course, regardless of all other considerations. It is through such men that reforms come and without them there would be no progress. He was born in Cape Girardeau county, February 3, 1880. His grandfather, Wil- liam E. Alexander, was a native of Mecklin- burg county. North Carolina, and was of Scotch-Irish descent, his ancestors having come to America from Scotland. In 1830. when William E. was a lad of eleven years of age, his father and mother brought him to southeastern Missouri ; they located in Cape Girardeau county, where they were one of the pioneer families of the county. William was educated in the county and achieved suc- cess. For many years he was public admin- istrator in the state. His sou, Oliver Alexan- der, was born iu Cape Girardeau county, where he was educated, engaged in farming and was married to Lillian L. Woods, also a native of Cape Girardeau count.y. She was the daughter of Rufus Woods who came from North Carolina al)out the same time that W^illiam E. Alexander came. The Woods family packed all their worldl.y belongings on wagons and made the journey from North Carolina to Missouri by that slow, laborious method. The family originally came from. Scotland and like the Alexander family were of Scotch-Irish descent. Harry is the eldest of three children, hav- ing a brother and sister. His boj'hood days were spent on his father's farm, where he learned to work, his father believing in the value of earl.y training in habits of industry and responsibility. He did not, however, in- tend to be a farmer, but to be a lawyer like his grandfather. He was sent to the district school, where his natural abilities and dili- gence combined soon won him recognition. He attended high school and then the State normal school at Cape Girardeau, after which he went to the state university at Columbia, but did not complete the course there. In- stead he went to Austin, where the state uni- versit.v of Texas wqs located and graduated from the law department there in 1902. The following year he came to Cape Girardeau, where he began to practice law. He was alone for six years, but in 1909 he formed a partnership with Senator Lane, a lawyer who had already become prominent as a law- yer and a statesman. The firm has met Avith unprecedented success. In 1905 Mr. Alexander married Miss Myr- tle Jackson, the daughter of Dr. Robert -T. Jackson, of Bloomfield, Missouri. Two chil- dren have been born to this union, Genevieve Lucille and William E., named after his great grandfather. In 1907 Mr. Alexander was elected state attorney, which position he held until 1911. He is a firm supporter of the Democratic party, believing that that platform embodies the principles of good government. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks, of the Eagles, of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica. Being a life long member of Cape Gi- rardeau county, it is natural that Mr. Alex- ander should be vitally interested in the wel- fare of that county and of southeastern Mis-