American League of Lobbyists

Memorial Page

Donald C. Alexander

Donald C. Alexander
May 22, 1921 – February 3, 2009

A member of ALL’s Senior Council at the time he died, Don had been an active member most of ALL’s history. He served on the board of directors 1993-1994, and chaired the Tax Section for several years following that. He was a commissioner at IRS during the Watergate period and is often remembered as the man who stood up to President Nixon, refusing to use the IRS for political retribution. Don was a partner at the firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and was a widely recognized tax expert, frequently called upon and quoted by the press. He was a member of the D.C., New York and Ohio bar associations as well as the ABA. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme court, the U.S. Tax Court and several circuit courts. He was included in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America since its inception in 1983.

Don was active in public service throughout his career. He served with the 14th Armored Division during World War II and was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valor. He served on the Commission on Federal Paperwork, the Interior Department’s Coal Leasing Commission and IRS’s Exempt Advisory Group. He was a Commissioner of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission and a Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In 1975, was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Award, the Treasury Department’s highest honor. He was an honors graduate of both Yale University and Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Don was among the most gracious of gentlemen. Married to Margaret Louise Savage for 52 years, loved his family and was universally kind to those around him. He was amazingly astute not only about tax law, but also about lobbying practices and government in general. He was willing to offer advice or assistance when sought, and never too proud to open himself to learning new things. In a recent conversation about “the younger generation,” he pronounced that the next generation held great promise and that the country would be in safe hands – a very typical outlook for a man who was young at 87.

Anyone wishing to make a donation in his memory should contact the Alexander Fund for Tax Research, C/O Harvard Law School Alumni Center, 125 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.