Kelly Alexander Sr.

Kelly Miller Alexander Sr. (August 18, 1915 – April 2, 1985) was chairman of the board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a civil rights activist.

He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Zechariah and Louise Alexander.

Alexander studied at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and Renouard College of Embalming in New York City before returning to Charlotte to help run his father's business.

In 1940 he took over leadership of the Charlotte branch, turning it into a powerful civil rights force within the city.

He also supported the landmark Supreme Court of the United States Case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education that said busing could be used to integrate schools.