James Alexander (lawyer)

James Alexander was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the Colonial Assembly and as attorney general of the colony in 172123. His son William was later a major general in the Continental Army during the American revolution. Alexandria Township, New Jersey was named after James Alexander.

Alexander was born in Muthill in Pertshire, Scotland on May 27, 1691, to David Alexander . He joined the navy, serving on the HMS Arundell in 171213, where he learned navigation, mathematics, and astronomy. But in 171415 he joined the uprising in support of the James Francis Edward Stuart, and fled to America in 1715 when it failed. In November 1715 he was appointed surveyor general of New Jersey. He personally made surveys, using instruments he had brought from Scotland and resolved disputed titles.

Source: Wikipedia