author
James W. (James Waddel) Alexander
1839–1915
A leading figure in American insurance at the turn of the twentieth century, he is best remembered as president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society and as the author of a concise work on life assurance. His life also linked him to a notable cultural circle that included portrait painter John White Alexander and mathematician James Waddell Alexander II.
1 Audiobook
Patience
by James W. (James Waddel) Alexander
About the author
Born in 1839, he was part of the prominent Alexander family and went on to build a career in finance and insurance rather than the ministry and scholarship that made some of his relatives famous. He became president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, serving from 1899 to 1905.
For readers today, he appears in library records as the author of Life Assurance, a paper connected with the National Convention of Insurance Commissioners in 1899. That makes him an interesting figure for anyone exploring the history of insurance, business writing, and public policy in the late nineteenth century.
He died in 1915. He is also remembered through family connections: his daughter Elizabeth married the painter John White Alexander, and he was the grandfather of the mathematician James Waddell Alexander II.