Alexander, Lucien Hugh, 1866-1926

A Philadelphia lawyer, Lucien Alexander came from a wealthy Scots-Irish family with strong ties to the lumber, oil, and railroad industries in Pennsylvania. After receiving his education at the University of Pennsylvania (1884-1887) and Harvard (1887-1888), Alexander entered into the offices of William Henry Rawle and Alonzo Tillinghast Freedley to study law, earning admittance to the Pennsylvania bar in 1896. During a comparatively brief career in active litigation, he handled some very high profile cases, most notably representing Robert Peary in his dispute with Frederick A. Cook over priority in the "discovery" of the North Pole. Alexander ceased general practice in 1909 to assume a position as special counsel for four Midwestern railroad corporations.

Alexander's legacy, however, lies less in his skills as a litigator, than in his tireless efforts during the first decade of the twentieth century to further the professionalization of legal practice. As a young member, and later secretary of the board of examiners controlling admission to the Philadelphia bar, Alexander helped initiate several quintessentially progressive reforms, including the addition of a written examination to the bar exam, along with a general educational examination and inquiries into the moral character of candidates. His efforts to extend these reforms statewide resulted in the establishment of the state board of law examiners.

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