Alex Haley Biography Alex Haley was born Alex Murray Palmer Haley on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, New York. Alex's parents were Simon and Bertha Haley. His father was a World War I veteran and also a graduate student in agriculture at Cornell University. His mother was a school teacher. For the first five years of his life, Alex lived with his mother and grandparents in rural Henning, Tennessee, while his father earned his agricultural degree. Alex always said he was very proud of his father. According to Bio TrueStory, Alex once said, "I was very proud to see my father overcome the immense obstacles of racism to achieve high levels of success and provide better opportunities for his children." Alex Haley was a bright and gifted student. He graduated at the age of fifteen and enrolled at Alcorn A&M College as we now know as Alcorn State University in Mississippi, where he was the poorest freshman. After a year at Alcorn State University, he transferred to Elizabeth City State Teachers College in North Carolina. In 1939, at the age of 17, Alex left...