Henry Quincy Alexander

Henry Quincy Alexander (August 22, 1863 – June 11, 1929) was an American physician, farmer, and politician who was president of the North Carolina Farmers' Union for 11 years. He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives for two terms, was a member of the North Carolina Board of Agriculture for six years, was a presidential elector for the Progressive Party in 1924, and was briefly Frank Elbridge Webb's running mate on the Farmer–Labor ticket in 1928.

Biography Early life, education, and career Henry Quincy Alexander was born on August 22, 1863, in Statesville, North Carolina. He received his primary and secondary education at public schools located in Iredell County, North Carolina. In 1903, Alexander founded the Mecklenburg County Medical Society and served as its first president. He worked as a physician around Providence and Matthews.

North Carolina House of Representatives

In 1902, Alexander was elected as one of the three representatives representing Mecklenburg County in the North Carolina House of Representatives. He won the most votes in the Democratic primary, avoiding a runoff, securing his place on the ballot, and effectively guaranteeing his victory in the general election. He won reelection to a second term in 1904. In the legislature, Alexander introduced a successful bill that reduced the poll tax and he was also an active supporter of temperance. In 1906, while recovering from typhoid fever, Alexander decided to not seek reelection to the legislature.

In his first term, Alexander belonged to the House Committee on Counties, Cities, Towns and Townships, House Committee on Health, House Committee on Insane Asylums, House Committee on Institutions for the Blind, House Committee on Institutions for the Deaf and Dumb, House Committee on Propositions and Grievances, and the House Committee on Private Bills.

North Carolina Farmers' Union In 1908, the Farmers' Union—drawing significant inspiration from the defunct Farmers' Alliance and, to a lesser extent, the Grange—organized a state affiliate in North Carolina. Alexander was elected as the inaugural president of the state affiliate. The union advocated for farmers by supporting measures to improve the education of farmers as well as the state education system more broadly, engaging in limited business ventures, and through cooperative efforts.

Buoyed by superb leadership and adverse farming conditions, the state union became incredibly successful—more than the Grange or Farmers' Alliance had been in their time—even though the national union was comparatively smaller. From 1910 to 1914, the state union had the largest dues-paying membership of any state in the national union, and in 1913 it paid 37.1% of the national dues.

Alexander and the union supported progressive education measures, such as night schools, compulsory attendance, library expansion, free textbooks, and a six-month school schedule. Their support was instrumental in the adoption of such measures. Alexander stated "his work of education is the most important mission of the Farmers' union."

The organization reached its zenith in 1912. In 1913, union membership began a persistent decline, attributed to an increase in cotton prices and the executive committee's decision to stop paying organizers. Reflecting on this, Alexander said that the organization had grown rapidly and then "he pendulum swung the other way" and that "embership decreased with good prices for farm products."

Alexander refused many calls to seek political office, as union bylaws forbid any member from seeking political office, with him saying "I had rather be president of the Farmers' Union than Governor of the State, for I believe there is more opportunity to do good in the office which I have been honored with." Despite this, he did not bolt from the Democratic Party. He served as one of La Follette's presidential electors in North Carolina. Alexander attempted to hold joint campaign events with some Republican and Democratic electors, admitting that it was an attempt to sway their voters to the Progressive banner. This did not end up occurring, as the Democrats, who had carried the state in every election since 1876, declined to participate.

1928 United States presidential election In a collage published in The Charlotte Observer after his nomination, Alexander is standing with his twin daughters in front of his home, with a cut-out of his face in the bottom right. In the 1928 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Alexander supported Senator James A. Reed. He resigned himself to supporting Al Smith after Smith secured the party's nomination, judging him a lesser evil than Republican nominee Herbert Hoover and more likely than Hoover to serve humanity and not corporate wealth. On September 11, the Farmer–Labor Party Executive Committee contacted Alexander via telegram to ask if he would accept the vice presidential nomination if he was nominated. He answered in the affirmative, and soon after he accepted their nomination for vice president. Alexander was shocked to be nominated, as he had never been affiliated with the Farmer–Labor Party or any party members. He accepted the nomination for four reasons: in a spirit of protest of the major party platforms; He accepted with the understanding that he would be replaced if a stronger candidate could be found and after informing the executive committee that he could not actively campaign due to poor health. He thought the party platform, though superior to both the Democratic and Republican platforms, had two flaws: it was silent on the banking sector, which he was known to have a fanatical opposition to, After his withdrawal, Webb ran alongside L. R. Tillman, a member of the party's executive committee, and received 6,390 votes.

After withdrawing as the Farmer–Labor Party's vice-presidential nominee, Alexander became an active Smith supporter, co-leading the La Follette musketeers, an organization intended to get former La Follette voters to back Smith. Smith was defeated in North Carolina, the first Democrat to lose it since 1872.

Personal life and death In 1888, Alexander married Annie Lee Campbell, who was from York, South Carolina. In 1917, he married Ethel Brinkley (1888–1959 ), who was from Elm City, North Carolina, They had five children together. While serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Alexander told reporters to mention how proud he was of his children.