Origin of Smart Alec?

[mazzer]

Who was the original Smart Alec? Was he cool to hang out with? How did he become so unpopular with mothers?

(If this has been answered before, I apologize. I really thought it would have and I searched a while.)

[stuyguy]

No one else is biting, so here goes.

Apparently Smart Alec has no great or fascinating origin. The phrase was first attested in 1865. "Alec," used here, is believed to simply be a common, generic male placeholder name (like Joe in "ordinary Joe").