Šandor Alexander

Šandor Alexander pl. Sesvetski was a Croatian nobleman, industrialist, philanthropist, younger brother of Samuel David Alexander and member of the Zagreb prominent Alexander family. Alexander was great philanthropist, just like his brother, who donated the most of his wealth to charity. Around 1908, Alexander founded the society for feeding poor school children in Zagreb, where he was also the treasurer. He also managed the Croatian academic society, which supported and funded the poor academic citizens. Every society which had the fortune to have Alexander as a treasurer, never had problems with finances. During World War I, Alexander organized and largely financed the "Council for helping the unemployed and disabled employees of trading, industrial and financial institutions", which he also chaired as the president. His greatest merit was when he, fall of 1914, established a public kitchen for the poor citizens and families of those who fought on the battlefield during the war. Alexander founded the charity "Prehrana". At 1925, "Prehrana" was estimated at 25 million dinars. "Prehrana" distributed millions of meals, according to some estimates over 15 million. At the beginning of the World War I, Alexander donated 1 million golden guldens as an irreversible war loan to the state. For that, on August 13, 1918, Alexander was knighted by Charles I of Austria and awarded with the title pl. (plemeniti (in Croatian) = noble ) Sesvetski. On December 17, 1929, while attending the Royal Guard ball in Belgrade, Alexander suddenly fell ill. He died from a heart attack in the night from the 17th to the 18th of December 1929.