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The early part of the life of Abp. Alexander is largely unknown. He was the [[Auxiliary bishop|auxiliary Bishop]] of Rodostolou when, on [[October 29]], 1918, he was named the synodical vicar of the proto-[[archdiocese]], formed by Metr. Meletius of Athens, of all Greek Orthodox faithful in North and South America, with Metr. Meletius as its head as [[Exarch]] of America. After the [[w:History_of_modern_Greece|royalists]] returned to power in Greece, Metr. Meletius was [[deposition|deposed]], but on [[November 27]], 1921 he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in a Turkey that was also at the time [[w: Dissolution_of_the_Ottoman_Empire|deposing]] the government of the [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman Sultan]]. Meletius then returned to the United States where he presided over a formal organization of the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America]] on [[May 11]], 1922. As one of his first official decrees as [[patriarch]], Meletius appointed Bp. Alexander the [[Titular bishop|titular Bishop]] of Rodostolou as his Patriarchal Exarch in America.
The years of Abp. Alexander tenure were punctured by the political dispute in Greece between the supporters of the royal house and that of Prime Minister [[w:Eleftherios_Venizelos|Eleftherios Venizelos]] in which Metr. Meletius and Abp. Alexander supported Venizelos. This dispute was reflected in a division among the Greek parishes in America and was not healed until the tenure of Archbishop [[Athenagoras I (Spyrou) of Constantinople|Athenagoras (Spyrou)]] in the 1930s.
In 1930, the dispute had reached the point that Patriarch Ecumenical [[Photius II (Maniatis) of Constantinople|Photius II]], supported by the [[Church of Greece]], sent a representative as exarch, Archbishop Damaskenos of Corinth, to America to begin a program on reconciliation. During the latter months of 1930, Abp. Damaskenos effected the transfer of the hierarchy created by Patr. Metaxaki to new sees in Greece. After the transfer of Abp. Alexander remained , his successor, Archbishop [[Athenagoras I (Spyrou) of Constantinople|Athenagoras (Spyrou)]], arrived in early 1931. He arrived as archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America until 1930ruling hierarch supported by assistant bishops.
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*[http://goannun.org/about/historical-highlights-of-100-years/ Historical Highlights of 100 Years]
*[http://www.philoptochos.org/index/history/historypt1 History of Philoptochos Part 1]
*[http://www.archive.org/stream/5422062_5/5422062_5_djvu.txt Selected articles from ''Chicago Post'', ''The Greek Press'', ''Saloniki'', and ''Chicago Greek Daily'' of July 1930 to April 1931 - translations]
[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Rodostolou]]
