Brian Alexander to Headline First Behind the Page Event The associate professor of politics will discuss his new book “Jefferson’s Manual 0f Parliamentary Practice."

By Abby Harlan
September 29, 2026

Brian Alexander, associate professor of politics at Washington and Lee University, will discuss his new book, “Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practice,” as a part of the Beyond the Page: Milestone Works by Faculty series at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the Lemon Room located in Tucker Hall.

The series, open exclusively to the university community, celebrates significant scholarly and creative achievements by faculty members across disciplines. Alexander will be introduced by Tom Camden ’76, the former head of Special Collections and Archives and associate professor who retired in 2023.

Alexander’s lecture will be followed by a reception and book exhibit organized by the W&L University Store, where copies of the book will be available for purchase.

“One of the key questions in this 250th anniversary of the United States is about whether power and justice can be reconciled and if the values of the Declaration of Independence can endure,” Alexander said. “The ‘Manual of Parliamentary Practice’ helps us understand this.”

Published in November by Arcadia Publishing, Alexander’s book is the definitive edition of Thomas Jefferson’s “A Manual of Parliamentary Practice,” originally published in 1801 and standing as the foundation for Congressional rule since its release. Jefferson’s handwritten annotations in his personal copies of the 1801 edition contributed to the development of the manual’s final version, which was published in 1812. Alexander’s new edition presents the complete text of Jefferson’s definitive statement on congressional procedure, incorporating the subsequent additions and revisions he made in the final copy. Alexander also includes an accompanying introduction that traces the textual history of the work in addition to an examination of the significance of Jefferson’s revisions.

“What’s really fun about this whole project is that it started with a discovery in a rare book of Jefferson’s at W&L’s Special Collections,” said Alexander. “The result has been a new edition of his manual, new understandings about Thomas Jefferson and even updates to the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives to reflect Jefferson’s last true word on his manual.”

Alexander has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree in cultural studies from Miami University (Ohio), a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in political science with concentrations in American government and international relations from George Mason University. He also annually directs W&L’s Washington Term, a Spring Term program hosted in Washington, D.C., for students interested in getting hands-on experience in positions of politics and public policy.