McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Alexander, E. James, Sir
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1803-1885
History
Sir James Edward Alexander was born on October 16, 1803, in Stirling, Scotland.
In 1820, he joined the British East India Company's army, transferring to the British Army in 1825. As aide-de-camp to the British envoy, he witnessed the war between Persia and Russia in 1826, the Russo-Turkish War in 1828-1829, the War of the Two Brothers in Portugal in 1832-1834, and the 6th Cape Frontier War in South Africa in 1835. In 1838, he was made a Knight Bachelor for his services. From 1841, he served in Canada, among others on the staff of Sir William Rowan. During the Crimean War, he commanded the 14th (Buckinghamshire) Regiment of Foot as a lieutenant colonel in the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855 and the New Zealand Wars, 1860 to 1862. He retired from active service in 1877, and on July 1, 1881, he received the honorary rank of general. He co-founded the Royal Geographical Society and conducted an exploring expedition into Namaqualand and Damaraland (1836-1837). There, he collected rock specimens, pelts of rare animals, bird skins, weapons and drew maps of the region. The cartographer John Arrowsmith used his data to draw a map accompanying his book of the expedition. Alexander Bay on the Orange River mouth is named after him.
In 1837, he married Eveline Marie Mitchell (1821-1906). He died on April 2, 1885, in Ryde, Isle of Wight, England.