---

Researcher: Sophia Cao, Stuyvesant '27

---

Alex Alexander was born on December 20, 1910, in Molaoi, Greece, several months after Eleftherios Venizelos became the Prime Minister of Greece. Venizelos went on to modernize and reform Greece. Alex and his father, Peter Alexander, arrived in America on September 10, 1920, in the midst of the Greco-Turkish War. Six years later, on March 30, 1926, Alex became a naturalized citizen.


He lived in Brooklyn, New York, in the Ocean Hill Brownsville building 5 at 2065 Dean Street. In the 1900s, Ocean Hill was primarily composed of Jewish and Italian-Americans and dense, brick row tenements, serving as a major hub for radical politics. The socialist party was particularly strong and focused on communist-based activism, with its ideals being successful as the community, composed of immigrants, worked in sweatshops and supported the grassroots movement.


If Alex attended high school, he might’ve attended Thomas Jefferson High School, which was opened in 1924. Thomas Jefferson High School’s demographics were largely working-class and immigrant children. Notable alumnus Howard Zinn attended Thomas Jefferson, and the combination of the neighborhood’s working-class struggle and his education there led him to read Karl Marx. The school and surrounding area were an incubator for growing political activity, which may have attracted Alex.


In December 1920, the monarchy in Greece was reinstated through democratic processes. The impact on Alex is unclear, but it may have influenced his decision to join the communist party. Additionally, he joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in at least 1936.


On February 20, 1937, Alex sailed for Spain on the Ile de France. It’s interesting to note that another Abraham Lincoln Brigade volunteer, Paul Sens, was also on board at that time. Alex arrived in Spain on March 17. Alex may have been one of the last brigaders to arrive in Spain through France, as travel would become harder later in 1937 when France tightened border control.


Alex served as a driver for the Albacete Auto Park, likely under the transport sector. Under the transport sector, he’d have been in charge of delivering armored trucks and equipment for the Republican forces.


On May 31, 1937, Almeria, a small Mediterranean town, was bombed by German naval squadrons in retaliation for Republican aircraft dropping a bomb on Nazi warships. The bombardment of Almeria killed 19 to 20 civilians, injured 50, and destroyed 35 buildings. Among the injured was Alex. The Auto Park was delivering trucks when the bombing occurred, and he was severely wounded. He was admitted to a hospital, but died days later, on June 5, 1937.


On Friday, December 17, 1937, the Communist Party in Brownsville held a memorial service for Brownsville residents who volunteered in the Spanish Civil War. On the poster advertising the memorial, Alex’s name is written as Al Alexander. He was memorialized as a Brownsville resident who died in Spain while volunteering to defend world democracy.

 

 

 

 

---

Sources

---

“1910-1920: Venizelos in the Greek and the International Political Scene.” National Research Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos,” 27 Nov. 2017, www.venizelos-foundation.gr/en/1910-1920/.

Alexander, Otis. “Brownsville, in Brooklyn, New York (1858- ) | Blackpast.Org.” BLACKPAST, 16 Feb. 2025, blackpast.org/african-american-history/brownsville-in-brooklyn-new-york-1858/.


Goldman, Jonathan. “April 20.” NY 1920s, 20 Apr. 2020, www.ny1920.com/apr-20.


Isserman, Maurice. “When New York City Was the Capital of American Communism.” The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/opinion/new-york-american-communism.html.


“Alexander, Alex.” The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, 24 May 2022, alba-valb.org/volunteers/alex-alexander/.


“Letter to the Editor: The Almería Bombing.” The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, 16 Mar. 2016, albavolunteer.org/2016/03/letter-to-the-editor-the-almeria-bombing/.


“Howard Zinn: Author of a People’s History of the United States.” The Times, 1 Apr. 2010, www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/howard-zinn-author-of-a-peoples-history-of-the-united-states-j5fmjtb0r96.