Alexander Lambert

A strong surf was “T. R.,” Centurion and President, and it took strength to stand before him. Mentally, morally and physically Dr. Alexander Lambert was a man of power, as his long and intimate friendship with Theodore Roosevelt attested. He was the President’s personal physician, his hunting companion and a trusted adviser, as well. The two were wont to meet at the Century, thereby recording another in the long line of historic friendships which the old club-house has witnessed. Other patients took from Dr. Lambert much the same aid and comfort that the Colonel found. He was a man of such broad interests that no problem stood beyond his concern; thanks to his vitality, good humor and common sense everyone instinctively turned to him for help. As a result, excellent as was his judgment as a medical man, his advice often went far beyond the domain of ordinary ailments. He developed a special interest in the treatment of alcoholic and drug addicts and served on various public commissions appointed to study this field. Public affairs appealed strongly to him and there were few New Yorkers of his period more widely known. During the World War he was medical head of the American Red Cross in France and held the rank of Colonel in the Medical Corps. Each of his varied activities added to his long list of friends, which included such diverse figures as Leonard Wood and Samuel Gompers, and rested upon his conspicuous gifts of understanding and affection. His honors and posts of responsibility matched his extraordinary energy and will to serve.

Geoffrey Parsons
1939 Century Memorials