John Anderson Jr. (May 8, 1917 – September 15, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 36th

governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

, from 1961 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 33rd

attorney general of Kansas The Attorney General of Kansas is a statewide elected official responsible for providing legal services to the state government of Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city i ...

from 1956 until 1961.

Life and career

Anderson was born near

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe was ...

, 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 The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. In 1943 he graduated from the University of Kansas, and from the

University of Kansas Law School The University of Kansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Kansas, a Public university, public research university in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Law School was founded in 1893, replacing the earlier Department of ...

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. 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 The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

. 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 In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. Once in this elective office, Anderson won the two following elections in 1956 and 1958. 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 George Docking (February 23, 1904 – January 20, 1964) was an American businessman who served as the 35th governor of Kansas (1957–1961). He was a member of the Democratic Party. Biography Born in Clay Center, Kansas, Docking was educated in ...

, 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. In 1964, Anderson chose not to seek re-election, but instead, went back to his law practice in Olathe. 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 The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) is the organization that owns and maintains the Kansas Turnpike. Authority board The KTA is headed by a board of five members, two of which are appointed by the governor of the state. In addition, the Chairm ...

. 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.Former Kansas Governor John Anderson, Jr. dies
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Legacy

* K-10 in

Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county conta ...

, is named in Anderson's honor.

Notes

External links

Publications concerning Kansas Governor Anderson's administration available via the KGI Online Library
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, John Jr. 1917 births 2014 deaths Republican Party governors of Kansas Kansas Attorneys General Republican Party Kansas state senators Kansas State University alumni Politicians from Olathe, Kansas University of Kansas School of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians