Constituency : Bridgwater 1857-69
Alexander was educated at Eton ( where he met Gladstone ) and Cambridge and became a barrister. He was small and short-sighted. He travelled widely and in 1844 published Eothen ; or Traces of travel brought home from the East, a highly popular account of his travels in the Middle East. It is a riot of political incorrectness , for instance declaring that Bedouin women had "so grossly neglected the prime duty of looking pretty in this transitory life that I could not at all forgive them". He first contested Bridgwater in 1852. He was interested in military matters and visited Algeria in 1845 and the Crimea in 1854 to observe operations. From 1856 he rarely practised , devoting his time to literature and politics. He got in at the 1857 election. He was thought to be an atheist.
Alexander was a socially popular bachelor with a taste for high living and many literary friends. In Parliament he was disadvantaged by his weak voice and unimpressive appearance.
In 1863, at the request of Lady Raglan, Alexander began his 8 volume account of the Crimean War, Invasion of the Crimea which took him twenty- four years to complete. It was criticised for being too favourable to Lord Raglan and too hostile to Napoleon III whom he detested. In 1863 he saved Palmerston's government by his amendment to the motion of censure over Schleswig-Holstein.
Alexander was an advanced Liberal and in 1867 thought it was disreputable to oppose Disraeli on Reform after he had made concessions.
After Alexander's return in 1868 the result was voided on the grounds of extensive corruption and the borough was disenfranchised in 1870.
In his later years Alexander became very deaf. He died of throat cancer in 1891 aged 81.
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