Alexander Schleicher (May 22, 1901 – April 26, 1968) was a German pioneer of sailplane design. The company that he founded and which bears his name - Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co - is today one of the world's leading sailplane manufacturers. Schleicher continued to design aircraft for the firm until the outbreak of World War II, and again when German civil aviation resumed in 1951. During the years of the Allied occupation, he returned to his roots and designed furniture for the company to manufacture. He personally managed the firm until his death in Fulda in 1968.