William Anderson (naval officer)
Encyclopedia
William Robert Anderson (June 17, 1921 – February 25, 2007) was an officer in the United States Navy
, and a U.S. Representative
from Tennessee
from 1965 to 1973.
in the rural community of Bakerville
, south of Waverly
. He attended primary school in Waynesboro, Tennessee
where his father ran a sawmill. He graduated from the former Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee
in 1938, and from the United States Naval Academy
as a member of the Class of 1943, which graduated early in 1942.
Anderson's service in World War II
was distinguished. He was awarded the Bronze Star
and several other combat decorations from participation in a total of eleven combat submarine
patrols. He was selected by Admiral
Hyman G. Rickover
to be the second skipper of the first working nuclear submarine to be placed into service, the USS Nautilus
, and was its commander from 1957 to 1959. Anderson and his crew received international notice when the Nautilus became the first submarine to sail successfully under the polar ice cap surrounding the North Pole
.
That transit was completed under direct orders of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, under extreme secrecy, and was in direct response to the launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Russians. The president felt such a display of technological and military capability would offset the advantage won by the Soviets with Sputnik. The voyage by Anderson and his crew led the way for other submarine exploration beneath the ice cap and gave a decided military advantage to the U.S. Anderson received the Legion of Merit
from President Eisenhower for leading his crew and ship on this historic mission.
. He mounted an independent campaign for governor of Tennessee in 1962, finishing second to former Democratic
governor Frank G. Clement
. While the race was not particularly close, he made several important political contacts and provided Clement with his main competition outside of the Republican
stronghold of East Tennessee
.
In 1964 Anderson entered the Democratic primary
to replace Sixth District
Congressman Ross Bass
, who was running for the United States Senate
to finish the term of the late Estes Kefauver
, and won both the nomination and the subsequent general election
. (Fellow retired naval officer George W. Grider
was elected to the Ninth District
seat, in the Memphis
area, on the same day.) Anderson was reelected three times. He received less than 70% of the vote only in 1968, when Richard Nixon
won the state.
Anderson proved to be somewhat more liberal than expected for a naval veteran representing a largely rural district in western and central Tennessee. In fact, in the Tennessee congressional delegation of that time, only Richard Fulton
of the neighboring 5th District
(Nashville
) had a more liberal voting record. Anderson was well regarded in some Democratic circles and was sometimes mentioned as potentially having a bright future, with some even suggesting him as a potential vice presidential
nominee in 1972
based largely upon his military record.
However, Anderson's independent gubernatorial race and his progressive
tendencies had not been forgotten by many of his fellow Democrats, particularly in the General Assembly
. Tennessee was slated to lose a congressional district as a result of reapportionment following the 1970 census
, and Anderson's district was considerably reconfigured prior to the 1972 elections. Anderson's district received a large area around Memphis where Republican influence was strong and growing, while simultaneously losing some solidly Democratic areas.
Observers felt that if there was a vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the Tennessee congressional delegation in 1972, it was probably Anderson. This came to pass in the gigantic Republican landslide of 1972, in which President Nixon carried 49 of 50 states and 90 of Tennessee's 95 counties, and Anderson lost to Republican state personnel commissioner Robin Beard
by 12 points. Since then, the district—renumbered the Seventh District
in 1983 —has become the state's most Republican region outside of East Tennessee, and Democrats made only three serious bids for the seat so far.
Anderson retired from public life. He served as an officer with the Public Office Corporation, and lived in Alexandria, Virginia
. He died on February 25, 2007, after living in Leesburg, Virginia
during the final years of his life.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1965 to 1973.
Early life and naval career
Anderson was born in Humphreys County, TennesseeHumphreys County, Tennessee
Humphreys County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 17,929. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 18,212. Its county seat is Waverly.-Geography:According to the U.S...
in the rural community of Bakerville
Bakerville, Tennessee
Bakerville is a rural unincorporated community in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States, several miles south of the county seat of Waverly. It is quite near the confluence of the Buffalo and Duck Rivers.-History:...
, south of Waverly
Waverly, Tennessee
Waverly is a city in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,028 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Humphreys County.-Geography:...
. He attended primary school in Waynesboro, Tennessee
Waynesboro, Tennessee
Waynesboro is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,449 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Waynesboro is located at ....
where his father ran a sawmill. He graduated from the former Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
in 1938, and from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
as a member of the Class of 1943, which graduated early in 1942.
Anderson's service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was distinguished. He was awarded the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and several other combat decorations from participation in a total of eleven combat submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
patrols. He was selected by Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman George Rickover was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors...
to be the second skipper of the first working nuclear submarine to be placed into service, the USS Nautilus
USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
USS Nautilus is the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. She was the first vessel to complete a submerged transit beneath the North Pole on August 3, 1958...
, and was its commander from 1957 to 1959. Anderson and his crew received international notice when the Nautilus became the first submarine to sail successfully under the polar ice cap surrounding the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
.
That transit was completed under direct orders of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, under extreme secrecy, and was in direct response to the launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Russians. The president felt such a display of technological and military capability would offset the advantage won by the Soviets with Sputnik. The voyage by Anderson and his crew led the way for other submarine exploration beneath the ice cap and gave a decided military advantage to the U.S. Anderson received the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
from President Eisenhower for leading his crew and ship on this historic mission.
Author
He wrote a 1959 book about his journey under the North Pole, Nautilus 90 North, co-written with Clay Blair Jr. An updated and more complete book about the North Pole transit, The Ice Diaries, with co-author Don Keith, was completed just before Anderson's death. The book features previously classified information and many details not available for the first book.Political career
Upon retiring from the Navy, Anderson entered politicsPolitics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
. He mounted an independent campaign for governor of Tennessee in 1962, finishing second to former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
governor Frank G. Clement
Frank G. Clement
Frank Goad Clement served as Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967.-Early life:...
. While the race was not particularly close, he made several important political contacts and provided Clement with his main competition outside of the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
stronghold of East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
.
In 1964 Anderson entered the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to replace Sixth District
Tennessee's 6th congressional district
The 6th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. It currently includes all of Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale Counties, as well as a portion of Wilson County...
Congressman Ross Bass
Ross Bass
Ross Bass was an American florist, postmaster, Congressman, and United States Senator from Tennessee.- Background :...
, who was running for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
to finish the term of the late Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
, and won both the nomination and the subsequent general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. (Fellow retired naval officer George W. Grider
George W. Grider
George William Grider was a United States Naval Officer, an attorney, and a Democratic U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1965 to 1967....
was elected to the Ninth District
Tennessee's 9th congressional district
The 9th Congressional District of Tennessee is a Congressional district in southwestern Tennessee. The district is located entirely within Shelby County, and includes most of the city of Memphis...
seat, in the Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
area, on the same day.) Anderson was reelected three times. He received less than 70% of the vote only in 1968, when Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
won the state.
Anderson proved to be somewhat more liberal than expected for a naval veteran representing a largely rural district in western and central Tennessee. In fact, in the Tennessee congressional delegation of that time, only Richard Fulton
Richard Fulton
Richard Harmon "Dick" Fulton was a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate and of the United States House of Representatives, and the second mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.- Background :Fulton was educated as a youth in the...
of the neighboring 5th District
Tennessee's 5th congressional district
The 5th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. The most regularly drawn of the state's nine districts, it currently includes almost all of Davidson County, half of Wilson County, and half of Cheatham County...
(Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
) had a more liberal voting record. Anderson was well regarded in some Democratic circles and was sometimes mentioned as potentially having a bright future, with some even suggesting him as a potential vice presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nominee in 1972
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
based largely upon his military record.
However, Anderson's independent gubernatorial race and his progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
tendencies had not been forgotten by many of his fellow Democrats, particularly in the General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
. Tennessee was slated to lose a congressional district as a result of reapportionment following the 1970 census
United States Census, 1970
The Nineteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 203,392,031, an increase of 13.4 percent over the 179,323,175 persons enumerated during the 1960 Census.-Data availability:...
, and Anderson's district was considerably reconfigured prior to the 1972 elections. Anderson's district received a large area around Memphis where Republican influence was strong and growing, while simultaneously losing some solidly Democratic areas.
Observers felt that if there was a vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the Tennessee congressional delegation in 1972, it was probably Anderson. This came to pass in the gigantic Republican landslide of 1972, in which President Nixon carried 49 of 50 states and 90 of Tennessee's 95 counties, and Anderson lost to Republican state personnel commissioner Robin Beard
Robin Beard
Robin Leo Beard, Jr. was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee who served from 1973 to 1983.-Early life:...
by 12 points. Since then, the district—renumbered the Seventh District
Tennessee's 7th congressional district
The 7th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district located in the middle and southwestern parts of the state, connecting suburbs of Memphis and Nashville. It is the state's wealthiest district in terms of per capita income, as well as the third largest in area.Cities in the...
in 1983 —has become the state's most Republican region outside of East Tennessee, and Democrats made only three serious bids for the seat so far.
Anderson retired from public life. He served as an officer with the Public Office Corporation, and lived in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. He died on February 25, 2007, after living in Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
during the final years of his life.
See also
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his four children, Michael, William, Jane and Thomas Anderson also known as "Mac".External links
- Obituary, New York Times, March 6, 2007
- Obituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 7 March 2007