Clifford Leopold Alexander Jr. (September 21, 1933 – July 3, 2022) was an American lawyer, businessman and public servant from New York City.

[a][b] His father immigrated to the United States from Jamaica and managed the Riverton Houses; his mother, Edith (McAllister), was a community leader who was an adviser on civil rights to several mayors.

[a][b] After graduating in 1958, he enlisted in the New York National Guard and served briefly with the 369th Field Artillery Battalion at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

[a][b] Alexander was first called to Washington, D.C. in 1963 to serve as a foreign affairs officer on the National Security Council staff, having been recommended to John F. Kennedy by McGeorge Bundy.

[3] Throughout Johnson's presidency, Alexander continued to act as his go-between with the African American community, notably in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[a] As a special representative of the President, Alexander headed the American delegation to ceremonies marking the independence of the Kingdom of Swaziland in 1968.

He eventually became its first Black partner,[a][b] and successfully pressed the firm to employ graduates from Howard University School of Law.

[a] He ran unsuccessfully in the 1974 Democratic primary for the first directly-elected mayor of the District of Columbia, losing by 4,000 votes (53%-47% total) to Walter Washington, who won the general election.

[a][b] During this time, he concentrated upon improving the all-volunteer Army, stressing programs to enhance professionalism, and emphasizing the award of contracts to minority businesses to fulfill the federal commitment to encourage diversity.

[b][8] One of the beneficiaries of Alexander's efforts was Colin Powell, who finished second in his class at the Army Command and General Staff College.

[a] During an interview for the Koeppel report in the 1980, Alexander confessed that he expected to die before seeing an African-American Senator, President or head of a Fortune 500 company.