John Anderson Jr.

Anderson was born near Olathe, Kansas, to John and Ora Bookout Anderson. He graduated from Olathe High School in 1935. From there he went on to Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, and later transferred to the University of Kansas. In 1943 he graduated from the University of Kansas, and from the University of Kansas Law School the following year. He did not qualify for military service during World War II for physical reasons. Instead, he spent two years, from 1944 to 1946, on the staff of Federal Judge Walter A. Huxman. Later in 1946, Anderson opened his own law practice in Olathe.^[2]

Soon after establishing his law practice, Anderson entered politics by running for county attorney of Johnson County as a Republican. Anderson won this election, as well as two following elections and served in this capacity until 1953.

Beginning in 1952, Anderson sought to elevate his political career by running for a seat in the Kansas State Senate. Again he was successful, holding his office until March 1, 1956. At that time, he was appointed to fill the unexpired term as attorney general. Once in this elective office, Anderson won the two following elections in 1956 and 1958. Anderson was part of "The Young Turks", a reform-minded group of Republicans who backed Fred Hall as governor, and opposed right-to-work laws like the governor himself.

By 1960, Anderson was ready for bigger ambitions and entered the race for the office of governor in the election of that year. He defeated the Democratic incumbent, George Docking, 511,534 to 402,261 (the Prohibition candidate received 8,727). In keeping with his tradition for winning elections in pairs, Anderson also won the 1962 Gubernatorial election. Anderson became the first governor of Kansas to occupy Cedar Crest which had just been renovated at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars.

During his time as governor, Anderson increased funding for every grade level in the state's education system, added Wichita State University to the Board of Regents system. A state technical institute in Salina was established and a number of vocational technical schools were opened. Under Anderson's watch, the number of public school districts went from a thousand to 303 districts. The state's medical and mental hospital systems were reorganized and expanded, the pardon and parole system were reformed, new highways were built, a public employee retirement fund was established, and a fund was established to receive funds from the federal government in order to fund a program to assist children of low-income families. Because of his efforts to fund and improve education in Kansas, Anderson was nicknamed the "Education Governor".^[3]

Anderson also sought to advance civil rights in Kansas. In his 1961 inaugural speech, Anderson said: "The forward push of certain minority groups for equal places in our society have been [sic] greatly dramatized in recent years in the southern states... America is moving forward into an era of greater opportunity for some groups and less privilege for other groups. Kansas will not escape this mighty force."^[4]

—Anderson on his governing philosophy

In 1964, Anderson chose not to seek re-election, but instead, went back to his law practice in Olathe. Anderson supported New York governor Nelson Rockefeller in the 1964 Republican Party presidential primaries and opposed Barry Goldwater as the party's presidential nominee.^[6][7] On Goldwater's defeat in 1964, Anderson remarked: "This Goldwater ideology, the thing he called conservatism was beaten. It lost in every state. In the South, prejudice voted, not his philosophy, and in Arizona they voted hometown. These Goldwater people have got to roll over. They’re beaten."^[8] He remained active in public service after leaving the governor's office, serving as an attorney for the Board of Healing Arts and the Kansas Turnpike Authority. In addition, he served as the director of the Citizens' Conference on State Legislatures from 1965 to 1972. He was nominated for federal judgeships on a number of occasions, but was never appointed. Again, in 1972 he tried for the Republican Party nomination for governor, but was defeated by Morris Kay.

After leaving the Governor's office, Anderson retired to his native Olathe.

Anderson died September 15, 2014, at the age of 97.^[9]

• K-10inJohnson County, Kansas, is named in Anderson's honor.

• Publications concerning Kansas Governor Anderson's administration available via the KGI Online Library