Alexander Carl Kern was born September 23, 1909, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Mr. Kern earned his B.A. at Yale in 1930. He took his M.A. at the University of Wisconsin in 1933 and his Ph.D. in history in 1936. Kern married Jean Bordner in 1936, and they had two children, John and Antonia.

Dr. Kern joined the faculty at the State University of Iowa in 1936 as instructor of English. During 1945, he was a lecturer in the S.U.I. English Department, as well as University of Wisconsin and Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. In 1946 Kern was named assistant professor of English at S.U.I., where he further developed the American Studies Program. The American Studies Program was initially named American Civilization when it was first offered as a graduate program in 1934. Dr. Kern was made associate professor and course chairman of this program in fall 1947 by Elmer T. Peterson, acting dean of the Graduate College. Alexander Kern retired in 1975 and died August 16, 1997.