Borger, Alexander

Alexander Borger, born in Russia on June 10, 1870, was a longtime resident and prominent businessman in Fresno, California. After completing his schooling and serving a six-year grocery apprenticeship in Saratof, he immigrated to the United States in 1891 to escape military oppression. He arrived in Fresno on December 30, 1891, initially finding work with Southern Pacific railroad builders and picking grapes. Over the next two decades, Borger engaged in a wide variety of local enterprises, including agricultural partnerships on the Laguna Grant, operating the Railroad House, and contracting for street grading. His early career highlighted the diverse economic paths available to determined settlers in the rapidly developing region.

In 1913, Borger purchased the Waffle Kitchen, transforming it into a modernized and highly successful eating establishment known as the Alex Cafe on H Street. Alongside his restaurant success, he expanded his business portfolio by acquiring a twenty-acre Thompson seedless raisin vineyard at Biola and joining the California Associated Raisin Company. In his personal life, he married Mary Bier on October 2, 1892, with whom he built a handsome residence on F Street and raised three surviving children named Katie, Alexander, Jr., and Henry. As a dedicated member of the German Lutheran Church and a successful entrepreneur, his multi-faceted achievements left a lasting impact on Fresno’s commercial history.