Blackorchid, good idea about the new thread
But we don't really know that the trick to Richard's youthful appearance is 'jumping timelines' now (not to mention the ambiguity of the expression)..And wasn't Locke's around even after Ben's gunshot because 'he had work to do' as Walt said...? About Richard Alpert, I'm not sure if he ever was a leader prior to Ben. He seems to have held a great influence on whatever community he's been a part of, but I doubt his influence was that of a typical leader of the front line. Not something that official, but much more charismatic and subtle..like being the right hand of who ever's behind the curtain. Such positions often require playing down and under..
As for the question "what do we know about this guy?" and his backstory
Richard Alpert - Lostpedia