He was born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1952 and emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1959.
[1] His identifying potter's mark, as registered with the New Zealand Society of Potters, was from 1969 to 1975 the shape of a clover, and from 1975 onwards a stylized fish image.
[2] In 1992, he won the Norsewear Art Award with his stoneware work Elemental Bowl and was listed as a Finalist in the New Zealand Society of Potters Easter Show Award Exhibition.
[5] In 1993, the Northland Craft Trust and the QEII Arts Council granted him a one-year artist residency at The Quarry in Whangarei.
[7] Alger's work is held in the collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Suter Gallery in Nelson.