Samuel David “Sami” Alexander

Samuel "Sami" David Alexander was a Croatian Jewish industrialist, doyen of Croatian industrialists, a philanthropist and a member of the Zagreb prominent Alexander family. He was known as an organizational genius. In 1893 Alexander bought a brewery in Sisak, "Sisačka pivovara". In Sisak he was elected as the representative in the city assembly and was vice president of the savings cooperatives for Sisak and surrounding areas. Alexander owned the ceramic factory "Titanit", chemical factory "Danica", cement factory "Croatia", colliery "Mirna", cooking oil factory "Zagreb" (now "Zvijezda", part of "Agrokor" company) and was major shareholder of Zagrebačka pivovara. Alexander co-founded the "Zagreb Stock Exchange for the goods and values" (now "Zagreb Stock Exchange") and was co-founder of "Zagreb assembly" (now "Zagreb Fair"). He was also the elected president of "Industrialists Union" in 1919, and board member of the "Commercial Chamber". Alexander also owned several residential buildings in Zagreb. In the "Industrialists Union" he promoted and protected Croatian industry against Hungary and its economic policy in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Under his leadership all of Croatia and Slavonia industry was assembled under the "Industrialists Union". Alexander donated a great deal of his profits to charity. Alexander was a great philanthropist who often aided the city of Zagreb, the poor and those in need. In 1941 during World War II, with the NDH regime in power, Alexander and his wife found refuge at the sanatorium in Klaićeva street. In 1942, Alexander and his wife moved to the sanatorium of Dr. Đuro Vranešić, known for saving 80 Jews, in Zelengaj street 57. He died there relatively peacefully at the age of 80 in 1943. Alexander was buried at the Mirogoj Cemetery. In an attempt to save themselves from the Ustaše and Nazi persecution, his family was scattered all over the world. Some of them temporarily stayed in Perugia, Italy. His wife and children survived the Holocaust. Many members of Alexander family perished during the Holocaust. His sister Ilka was killed at the Jasenovac concentration camp in 1942 together with her son in law Oton Vinski, his niece Zora was killed in 1944 at Auschwitz.