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Charles Dewey Alexander (1897-1962) was born in Ponca, Nebraska on October 27, 1897. At the age of two, he moved to the Albany, Oregon area with his parents. He attended Albany schools and began working in the printing trade as a teenager, first in his brother's printing shop, then with the Albany Democrat newspaper.
Alexander was an avid reader and wanted to give local writers an opportunity to see their writings in print. In cooperation with the Democrat's publishers, W.L. Jackson and R.R. Cronise, he edited a Sunday edition featuring works by Linn County writers.
Alexander began writing short stories while working at the Democrat. His first story was accepted by Black Cat, a "pulp" magazine. in 1922, he won the Attorney Short Story Prize for "As a Dog Should," published in Collier's magazine. The story told of a dog who dies while saving his master from a bear attack. In all, around 200 short stories by Alexander were published in magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Detective Fiction Weekly, Ace-High Detective Magazine, Blue Book Magazine and Sunset.
In addition to short stories, Alexander published several novels, including Fang in the Forest and Bobbie, a Great Collie, a true-life story about a collie's 1,000+ mile journey to find his master, from whom he had become separated on a cross country trip. He also wrote "Abel and Ailse," a Pacific Northwest historical sketch published as a series of articles in Collier's.
Alexander, also an expert linotype operator, retired as a full-time worker from the Democrat after 50 years in February 1962. He continued to edit and write a book review column for the Democrat until his death in July 1962. His wife, Margaret Smith, whom he married in 1917, had died in 1958.
Sources: Obituary, Albany Democrat-Herald, July, 1962
Sources: Editorial, Albany Democrat-Herald, July 3, 1962
The Charles Alexander papers consist of correspondence; manuscripts; reviews; notebooks; clippings; personal material; and miscellany. The majority of the correspondence is with family members, publishers, and other writers such as Ernest Haycox, Robert Ormond Case, and Albert Wetjen. The reviews are for Alexander's books: Bobbie, A Great Collie, The Fang in the Forest, and The Splendid Summits.
The Manuscripts section is the largest, containing material for over 200 short stories by Alexander. Many of these stores have at least one manuscript draft. Others are represented only by the published version; these are marked with an asterisk (*) in the inventory. Alternate titles for the stores are given in brackets after the official title. There are also manuscripts for the novels The Fang in the Forest and The Splendid Summits.
NOTE: A collection of paperback books by other authors (collected by Charles Alexander) is housed separately.