Horace G. Alexander; Intermediary Between Gandhi, British

Horace G. Alexander, 100, a Quaker who served as an intermediary between Mahatma Gandhi and the British government during India’s struggle for freedom. Gandhi once described Alexander as “British in nationality but Indian in heart.” Alexander was with Gandhi in Calcutta on Aug. 15, 1947, when India gained its freedom from the United Kingdom. In 1984, India honored Alexander for his contribution by awarding him one of the country’s highest decorations, the Padma Bhushan Award, roughly translated as “outstanding human being.” Alexander moved permanently to the United States in 1969. In a 1984 interview, Alexander said he continued to believe in the nonviolent principles of Gandhi. “I try to be hopeful about the future, but it is rather difficult, isn’t it? But there are a lot of people in the world who are trying to take nonviolence seriously, so maybe in the course of time, it will begin to affect national policy.” In Philadelphia on Saturday.