Alexandre, Frederick Francis (1894–1968)

1894–1968

Parents: James Henry Alexandre (1848–1912) and Elizabeth Boyce Lawrence (1862–1906). Spouse: Regina Mathilde Saportas (1898–1957)..

Children: Elizabeth Lawrence Alexandre (1917–1964), Frederick Francis Alexandre Jr. (1920–1945), Mathilde Marie Alexandre (1921–2009), Joan Alexandre (1923–1984), Lawrence Armitage Alexandre (1924–1996), Anthony Joseph Alexandre (1926–2021), and Patricia Jane Alexandre (1928–2017).

Kinship: Granduncle of the post–World War II Smith generation.

Early Life and Education

Frederick Francis Alexandre was born in 1894, the son of James Henry Alexandre and Elizabeth Boyce Lawrence. He married Regina Matilde Saportas in 1916,and completed his degree at Princeton University after the war, graduating in 1921.

Military Service

During World War I he served as a lieutenant in the 304th Field Artillery Regiment, 77th Division of the U.S. Army, part of the generation of Alexandres who combined inherited affluence with active national service.

Career

After the war, Alexandre entered finance and became a senior partner at the New York brokerage firm Gude, Winmill & Co., where he remained for forty-six years. His long career in brokerage reflected both stability and social standing within the interwar and postwar financial community.

Equestrian and Club Life

Alexandre’s lifelong passion was the world of horses and coaching. He was a member of the Coaching Club, vice president of the United Hunt Association, and a member of the Turf and Field Club. He served on the board of the Rockaway Hunting Club in Lawrence, Long Island, and raced steeplechase horses during the 1930s. He and his wife Regina were noted figures in New York’s equestrian social circles and attended the 1938 Horse Show Ball, an important event in the metropolitan sporting calendar.

Family Gatherings and Social Standing T

he family’s hospitality was well known. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the Alexandres’ 1937 Christmas dinner:

Lawrence, Dec. 25 — Mr. and Mrs. Frederick F. Alexandre gave their annual family Christmas dinner today at their home on the Causeway. Among those in the company were Mr. Alexandre’s brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. N. Edward C. Rutter of Lawrence and children, the Misses Mary, a debutante; Nancy, Virginia, and Theodore and John A. Rutter; Mrs. Samuel Adams Clark; Sr. Francis A. Clark; Mr. and Mrs. J. Henry Alexandre and sons, J. Henry Alexandre Jr., Dewitt and Jerome Alexandre; Miss Virginia Lawrence Alexandre; Mr. and Mrs. Martin B. Saportas and their children, Charles and Miss Marjorie Towers.

Death

Frederick Francis Alexandre died on May 1, 1968. He was remembered for his long financial career, his distinguished military service, and his leadership in the equestrian life of Long Island society.