{{short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox person | name =Alexander Alam | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1896|2|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|1983|8|9|1896|2|23|df=y}} | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | other_names = | known_for = | education =De La Salle College Armidale | employer = | occupation =Businessman<br/>Politician<br/>Philanthropist | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | spouse = Therese (Anthony) Alam | children = | parents =Joseph Alam<br/>Mary (Hashem) Alam | relatives = }} '''Anthony Alexander Alam''' (23 February 1896 – 9 August 1983) was an Australian businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was one of the longest-serving members of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and a prominent member of the Lebanese community.

==Biography==

===Early life=== Alam was born on 23 January 1896 in Wallsend.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |last=Ventress |first=Alan |title=Alam, Anthony Alexander (Alec) (1896–1983) |id2=alam-anthony-alexander-alec-12125 |accessdate=8 August 2012}}</ref> His parents were immigrant Lebanese storekeepers, Joseph Alam and Mary ''née'' Hashem. He was educated at De La Salle College Armidale. He married Therese Anthony (daughter of W. Anthony) at St. Columbia's Church, Charters Towers, Queensland, on 26 April 1924.<ref name=adb/>

===Political career=== He was an active in the Labor Party, and served as president of that Party's Gwydir, Dubbo and Wammerawa branches. He represented Labor in the New South Wales Legislative Council from 21 December 1925 until 22 April 1958,<ref name=parl>{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=1577 |name=Mr Anthony Alexander Alam (1896-1983) |former=Yes |access-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> when he retired from that position. He later filled a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Ian Sinclair from 19 November 1963 until 22 April 1973, when he again retired.<ref name=parl/> He was therefore an MLC for over forty-one years. In doing so, he was one of the very earliest people with Asian ancestry to be represented in any Australian legislature.

===Honours=== He was appointed to the National Order of the Cedar (Lebanon), the Order of Nichan Iftikhar, the Légion d’honneur (France) and the Order of the Phoenix (Greece).<ref name=adb/><ref name=parl/>

===Death=== He died on {{death date and age|1983|8|9|1896|1|23}}.<ref name=adb/>

==References== {{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alam, Anthony Alexander}} Category:1896 births Category:1983 deaths Category:Australian politicians of Lebanese descent Category:Lebanese Maronites Category:Australian Maronites Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Category:Recipients of the National Order of the Cedar Category:Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece) Category:20th-century Australian politicians Category:20th-century Australian philanthropists Category:Australian recipients of the Legion of Honour