Edward Porter Alexander was a famed museum administrator, historian and educator. Born in Keokuk, Iowa, he earned degrees at Drake University, the University of Iowa, and Columbia. After spending a decade working at various state historical societies, he served from 1946 to 1972 as a vice-president for interpretation at Colonial Williamsburg. He moved on to found the Museum Studies program at the University of Delaware, and to author several books on the history and function of the museum in America.