Alexandre, Lawrence Jerome “Jerry” (1923–2001)

1923–2001

Parents: James Henry Alexandre III (1915–1963) and Anne Loomis (1890–1948).

Spouse: (1) Rhea Munroe Elliman (1934–1993), (2) Katharine Ward Dickinson Saunders (1929-1984); (3) Margot Edwards (1935–1996).

Children: With Rhea Munroe Elliman: Nicole Munroe Alexandre (1954– ), Margaret Lindsay Alexandre (1957–2012), and Cary Lawrence Alexandre (1962– ).

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

Early Life and Education

Lawrence Jerome “Jerry” Alexandre was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, in 1923, the youngest of the three sons of James Henry Alexandre III and Anne Loomis. He attended the Pomfret School, graduating in 1941, and then entered Harvard University. His studies were interrupted by the Second World War.

Military Service

During the war Alexandre joined the United States Army Air Forces and served as a bomber pilot in the Pacific Theater. His wartime service became an essential part of his life and reflected the longstanding Alexandre family tradition of military participation.

Career

After the war he became a cotton broker with Anderson Clayton & Co., one of the world’s major cotton merchants. He remained with the firm until his retirement in 1976, when he founded his own company, the Alexandre Fibre Co., Inc., continuing his career in textile and fiber trading.

Civic Service and Interests

Alexandre was a devoted outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golf. He served for one year as national chairman of Ducks Unlimited and was a member of the Green Valley Country Club and Christ Church Episcopal.

Personal Life and Death

Alexandre was married three times. His first marriage, to Rhea Munroe Elliman, produced his three children. After their divorce in 1961 he married Katharine Dickinson Saunders, and later, in 1966, Margot Edwards of Spartanburg, who became stepmother to his children and remained his wife until her death in 1996. He died in Greenville, South Carolina, on December 17, 2001.