Morehouse College News

Institutional Advancement * Division of Communications * 830 Westview Drive, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30314

FORMER MOREHOUSE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEMBER,
THEODORE "T.M." MARTIN ALEXANDER, DIES AT AGE 92

ATLANTA, NOVEMBER 2, 2001 – Theodore Martin Alexander, Sr., a long-time member of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees died November 1, 2001, after a lengthy illness.

Alexander served on the Morehouse board since 1944. Though in recent years he held emeritus status, Alexander continued to attend regular board meetings and help set College policy, until becoming ill last year.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1909, Alexander attended the former Morehouse Academy High School, in Atlanta. After graduating, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Business Administration from Morehouse College, in 1931.

Affectionately known to his friends and colleagues as "TM," Alexander was also known as “Mr. Insurance.” He founded the Alexander & Company property and casualty insurance brokerage agency in 1931. With offices in Georgia, Alabama and Washington, D.C., Alexander & Company was one of the nation’s oldest and most successful minority-owned independent insurance agencies.

One of his company’s most memorable challenges was the placement of liability insurance on the automobiles used in the Montgomery bus boycott in 1957. White-owned insurance companies cancelled the liability insurance policies on the vehicles used by boycotters, threatening the success of the Civil Rights action. When the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. approached him for assistance, Alexander contacted Lloyd’s of London Insurance Company and obtained the desperately needed coverage. This bold and daring move enabled the boycott to continue and ultimately achieve its goal.

Recognizing his leadership in civil rights activities, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Alexander to the National Citizens Committee for Human Relations, an advisory committee organized to provide advice on implementation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Noting a 90-year absence of African American representation in electoral politics in both the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, Alexander ran for city council and the state Senate in 1961. Though unsuccessful in both bids, Alexander is credited with providing the motivation for other African Americans to seek election to public office.

Alexander was a role model, mentor and counselor to many aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to launch their own businesses. High-level local and national leaders of business and government frequently sought his wisdom and advice. He was also active in numerous service and professional organizations.

Alexander is survived by his wife of 26 years, Dr. Lenora Cole-Alexander; sister Bernice Connally, daughters, Alvia Boone and Dorothy Brooks; daughter-in-law Janis A. Perkins; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. His son TM Alexander, Jr. preceded him in death.

The funeral will be 11 a.m., Wednesday, November 7, 2001, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, Ga. A wake will be held 7 p.m., Tuesday, November 6, 2001, at Friendship Baptist Church, 437 Mitchell St. SW.

Founded in 1867, Morehouse College is the nation’s only historically black, private liberal arts college for men. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and graduates 500 each year, conferring bachelor’s degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world.

Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader; David Satcher, US surgeon general and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Sanford D. Bishop Jr., U.S. Congressman from Georgia.

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Media Contact:
Yusuf Davis
(404) 215-2680
ydavis@morehouse.edu