Alexander Stephen Jr., of Scottish descent, was born on 9 November 1845 in Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, Canada.

[2] He eventually became the president and managing director of the Nova Scotia Furnishing Company, which succeeded the firm of A. Stephen & Co.

The company, originally A. Stephen & Son, expanded to include house furnishings, carpets, oilcloths, and draperies.

Politically, he was a Liberal and a strong advocate for free trade, despite his involvement in the furniture and house furnishings industry, a highly protected sector.

[2] He was featured in A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography Being Chiefly Men of the Time by George Maclean Rose in 1888.

[4] Succeeding David McPherson, Alexander Stephen Jr. was first elected Mayor of Halifax in 1897 and held the position until 1899.