{{Short description|American politician from North Carolina (1948–2024)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Kelly Alexander | image = KMAlexander.jpg | state_house = North Carolina | district = 107th | term_start = January 1, 2009 | term_end = September 6, 2024 | predecessor = Pete Cunningham | successor = Bobby Drakeford | party = Democratic | birth_name = Kelly Miller Alexander Jr. | birth_date = {{birth date|1948|10|17}} | birth_place = Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|9|6|1948|10|17}} | death_place = | alma_mater = University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS, MPA)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Kelly_Alexander,_Jr.|title=Kelly Alexander, Jr}}</ref> | spouse = | relatives = Kelly Alexander Sr. (father) <br/> Frederick Alexander (uncle) | occupation = }}
'''Kelly Miller Alexander Jr.''' (October 17, 1948 – September 6, 2024) was an American politician who was a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 107th district from 2009 until his death in 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/103075/kelly-alexander-jr#.WcKJ_bKGOM8 | title=The Voter's Self Defense System }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carolana.com/NC/2000s/nc_2000s_house_2009-2010.html|title=North Carolina State House of Representatives 2009-2010|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=http://ncchamber.capwiz.com/ncchamber/bio/id/20886 | title=Capwiz is Unavailable | access-date=2015-06-01 | archive-date=2020-05-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503230800/http://ncchamber.capwiz.com/ncchamber/bio/id/20886 | url-status=dead }}</ref> During the 2015 legislative session, Alexander was one of 22 African Americans in the North Carolina House of Representatives.<ref name="ncleg.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncleg.net/library/Documents/African-Americans.pdf|title=North Carolina African-American Legislators 1969-2015*|access-date=27 February 2016}}</ref>
==Early life== Alexander was the son of NAACP chair Kelly Alexander Sr. and nephew of civil rights activist Frederick Alexander.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Remembering the Fathers Who Fought for Civil Rights|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2020/06/21/remembering-the-father-s-who-fought-for-civil-rights|access-date=2021-01-20|website=spectrumlocalnews.com|language=en}}</ref>
He attended West Charlotte High School and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.votekellyalexander.com/meet-kelly|access-date=2021-01-20|website=Kelly Alexander}}</ref> While at UNC, in 1969, he was one of the students who started Project Uplift, designed to provide high school seniors exposure to college life by allowing the high school students to stay in the university students' rooms and showing them the university.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kelly Alexander, cofounder of Project Uplift, dies at 75 |url=https://www.unc.edu/posts/2024/09/18/kelly-alexander-cofounder-of-project-uplift-dies-at-75/ |website=UNC |date=18 September 2024 |access-date=8 January 2025}}</ref>
Alexander returned to Charlotte after college to manage the Alexander Funeral Home.<ref name=":2" /> He has taught classes at Central Piedmont Community College, Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University of Charlotte and University of North Carolina at Charlotte.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.votekellyalexander.com/meet-kelly|title=About|newspaper=Kelly Alexander|access-date=2016-11-08}}</ref>
==Political career== {{expand section|date=September 2024}} Following in his father's footsteps, Alexander became President of the NC NAACP and served on the national NAACP board.<ref name=":2" /> He first ran for NC General Assembly in 2008 and won, taking his oath in 2009.<ref name=":1" />
Alexander was the first African American to be appointed to the Airport Advisory Committee from 1978 to 1984. He was involved in preventing an NC amendment that would allow state assemblymen to serve for four terms instead of two.<ref name=":0" />
==Death== Alexander died on September 6, 2024, at the age of 75.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.wbtv.com/2024/09/06/longtime-mecklenburg-county-state-representative-alexander-has-died/|title = Longtime Mecklenburg County State Representative Alexander has died|last = Beard|first = Brandy|work = WBTV|date = September 6, 2024|accessdate = September 6, 2024}}</ref> Alexander is buried at Gethsemane Memorial Gardens Charlotte, NC.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Honorable Kelly M. Alexander, Jr. Obituary September 6, 2024 |url=https://www.alexanderfunerals.com/obituaries/the-honorable-kelly-alexander-jr |accessdate=20 November 2025 |work=Alexander Funeral Home}}</ref>
==Electoral history== ===2022=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district Democratic primary election, 2022<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=05/17/2022&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1802] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 5,602 | percentage = 83.50% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Vermanno Bowman | votes = 1,107 | percentage = 16.50% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 6,709 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2022<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/08/2022&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1268] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 18,896 | percentage = 81.86% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Republican Party (United States) | candidate = Mark Alan Cook | votes = 4,187 | percentage = 18.14% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 23,083 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2020=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2020<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/03/2020&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1276] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 37,421 | percentage = 81.33% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Republican Party (United States) | candidate = Richard Rivette | votes = 8,591 | percentage = 18.67% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 46,012 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2018=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2018<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/06/2018&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1110] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 24,453 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 24,453 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2016=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district Democratic primary election, 2016<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=03/15/2016&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1544] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 10,304 | percentage = 90.14% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Robert Blok | votes = 1,127 | percentage = 9.86% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 11,431 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2016<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/08/2016&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1182] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 34,305 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 34,305 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2014=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2014<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/04/2014&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1027] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 18,049 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 18,049 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2012=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2012<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/06/2012&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1177] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 32,275 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 32,275 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2010=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2010<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/02/2010&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1173] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander (incumbent) | votes = 13,132 | percentage = 67.26% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Republican Party (United States) | candidate = Debbie Ware | votes = 6,392 | percentage = 32.74% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 19,524 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
===2008=== {{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district Democratic primary election, 2008<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=05/06/2008&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1057] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander | votes = 8,542 | percentage = 63.53% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Mary Nixon Richardson | votes = 4,903 | percentage = 36.47% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 13,445 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change|title=North Carolina House of Representatives 107th district general election, 2008<ref>[https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/04/2008&county_id=0&office=NCH&contest=1180] ''North Carolina State Board of Elections''.</ref> }} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change | party = Democratic Party (United States) | candidate = Kelly Alexander | votes = 27,502 | percentage = 75.26% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | party = Republican Party (United States) | candidate = Gary Hardee | votes = 9,043 | percentage = 24.74% }} {{Election box total no change | votes = 36,545 | percentage = 100% }} {{Election box hold with party link no change | winner = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://nsv.uncc.edu/interview/ohal0004 Interview with Kelly Alexander Jr] * [https://findingaids.uncc.edu/repositories/4/resources/9 Kelly M Alexander Papers], J Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte.
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-nc-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Pete Cunningham}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives <br/> from the 107th district|years=2009–2024}} {{s-aft|after=Bobby Drakeford}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Kelly}} Category:1948 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Politicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:African-American state legislators in North Carolina Category:Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly