Moses Alexander

America's First Jewish Governor

Born in Bavaria, Moses Alexander (1852-1932) immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager, first settling in Chillicothe, Missouri. He was employed on the city council for many years and eventually served as mayor of Chillicothe, but in 1891 decided to relocate to Alaska. On the way, he stopped in Boise, Idaho, and liked it enough that he decided to settle permanently. There he opened his first of several clothing stores, and in 1895 he helped build Boise's first synagogue, Ahavath Beth Israel. He was elected Boise's mayor in 1897 and again in 1901, and was elected Idaho governor in 1914, the first Jew to hold this position in any state. Alexander immediately began working for prohibition, which became law in Idaho in 1916. He pledged the state's militia troops to the World War I effort. After his time as governor, Alexander remained active in the Democratic party.