Theodore Martin Alexander, Sr., was born March 7, 1909, in Montgomery, Alabama, the third child of James and Hattie Alexander. He attended high school at Morehouse Academy in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with honors in 1931, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. He was honored by Morehouse College with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1970.

Mr. Alexander has been a leader in the Atlanta insurance industry and community activities for more than 50 years. In addition to founding his own insurance agency in 1931, he established the Southeastern Fidelity Fire and Casualty Company in 1951 and served as Executive Vice President and Managing Officer until the company was prematurely sold in 1967. Southeastern Fidelity Company provided more than $50,000,000 of property protection for its client groups, and was the first Black-owned multi-line insurance company.

Recognizing the absence of Black representation in electoral politics in both the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia for more than 90 years, Mr. Alexander embarked upon an ambitious effort and ran for the office of City Alderman in 1957 and for the State Senate in 1961. Although unsuccessful in each of these bids, his actions provided the motivation for other Blacks to become involved in seeking election of public office, thus paving the foundation for not only the first elected Mayor of the City of Atlanta, but also for numerous other elected positions throughout the South.

In addition to serving as the President of his insurance agency, T.M. Alexander & Company, Inc., with major offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C., Mr. Alexander has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Insurance at Howard University, Washington, D.C. Over the years, he has remained a pillar of the community and has assisted numerous other Blacks in gaining responsible positions in both the private and public sectors.

Mr. Alexander has been an active participant in many professional and other organizations. Included are:

Mr. Alexander is married to Dr. Lenora Cole-Alexander, former director of the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor who is presently President of LCA and Associates, Inc., and Commonwealth Professor of Public Affairs at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Their three children are Theodore Martin, Jr. (deceased), Alvia Elizabeth, and Dorothy Gwendolyn. They maintain residences at 3020 Brandywine Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008 and 215 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308.