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Diversity Spotlight

Archibald “Archie” Alphonso Alexander was born on May 14, 1888 in Ottumwa, Iowa. Archie had the fortune of being born to parents who would fight hard to see their son (and his eight subsequent siblings) receive an education, a path that was neither expected nor easy for members of the poor African American community in Ottumwa.

The family moved from Ottumwa to the outskirts of Des Moines when Alexander was eleven. The bright young man was an eager student who excelled in his high school studies. When his family could not afford to send him to college, Alexander took on part-time jobs to pay his own way, and his parents contributed what they could.

He studied at Highland Park College and Cummins Art College before enrolling in the engineering program at the University of Iowa as the sole African American student. In addition to his engineering studies, Alexander played tackle for the University’s football team. His prowess on the field led peers and coaches to nickname him “Alexander the Great.” Alexander graduated from the engineering program in 1912.

Alexander was warned at the University of Iowa that he would face difficulty finding work as a black engineer. He worked as a draftsman at Marsh Engineering Company during school and continued working for the company after graduation as a foreman. Alexander’s diligence and expertise helped him to rise to head of Marsh’s bridge building program in Iowa and Minnesota in a few short years. He left the company in 1917 to form A. A. Alexander, Inc. with fellow engineer George Higbee. The two worked as partners until Higbee’s accidental death in 1925. For four years, Alexander continued to operate the company on his own, completing various projects, including a heating and cooling system for the University of Iowa campus.

In 1929, Alexander teamed up with University of Iowa classmate and football teammate Maurice Repass to form Alexander & Repass, an engineering firm primarily focused on bridge design and construction. The firm was successful in competing with exclusively white-owned and operated firms and was noted for employing integrated construction crews on its projects.

Several Alexander & Repass projects are still standing or even in use today. One notable project is the bridge, seawall, and gate at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The steel stringer bridge and inlet gate were erected at the Potomac River inlet of the basin. Twice daily, the high tidal flow of the Potomac River opens the inlet gates, allowing the basin to fill with water. As the tidal flow reverses, the inlet gates swing shut and the outlet gates at the Washington Channel outlet swing open, flushing the channel of silt and sediment.

Alexander’s company in its various iterations completed over 300 projects in civil engineering. It is reported that Alexander earned an honorary master’s degree in civil engineering from University of Iowa, and an honorary doctorate in engineering from Howard University. He also pursued a career in politics with the Republican Party, holding the first Republican governorship of the US Virgin Islands from 1954 to 1955. Archie Alexander passed away at the age of 69 on January 4, 1958 in Des Moines, Iowa.