De Alva Stanwood Alexander was an American journalist, lawyer, historian, and member of the United States House of Representatives.
Alexander was born in Richmond, Maine the son of Stanwood and Priscilla Alexander. He attended the common schools and moved with his mother to Ohio in 1859. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentyeighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Ohio Volunteer Infantry at age 15, serving from 1862 until the end the American Civil War. After the war, he attended Edward Little Institute, Auburn, Maine, to prepare for college. He then attended Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, and graduated in 1870. He served many years as a member and president of the Bowdoin College board of overseers.
Source: Wikipedia