William Dozier Anderson (July 20, 1862 – January 6, 1952)Judge Anderson Dies Sunday, Rites Today
, ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'' (January 7, 1952), p. 1. was a mayor, state legislator, and judge in Mississippi. He served as a justice of the

Supreme Court of Mississippi The Supreme Court of Mississippi is the highest court in the state of Mississippi. It was established in the first constitution of the state following its admission as a State of the Union in 1817 and was known as the High Court of Errors and Appe ...

from 1910 to 1911 and from 1920 to 1944. Leslie Southwick
Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996
18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998). He also served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi State Senate. He was mayor of Tupelo, Mississippi from 1898 to 1906.

Early life

William Dozier Anderson was born on July 20, 1862, in

Pontotoc County, Mississippi Pontotoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It has been identified as one of the most corrupt counties in Northern Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,957. Its county seat is Pontotoc. It was c ...

. He was the son of Charles Wesley Anderson and Rebecca Ann (Dozier) Anderson. Anderson received his early education in Birmingham, Lee County, Mississippi. He then studied at Central University in Richmond, Kentucky and studied law at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

from 1881 to 1882. Anderson was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1883. He then moved to Tupelo, Mississippi, to practice law.

Professional career

Anderson served as a City and County Attorney as well as an Attorney for the

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobil ...

. In 1897, Anderson was elected to replace the deceased A. N. Wilson representing the Lee and Itawamba Counties floater district in the Mississippi House of Representatives for the 1898 session. Anderson was an Alderman of Tupelo for one term, and he was its mayor from 1899 to 1907. He was appointed to be a Special Judge in the Mississippi Circuit Court in 1906. In November 1907, Anderson was elected to represent the 38th District in the Mississippi State Senate for the 1908-1912 term. During this term, he was the chairman of the Senate's Judiciary committee. In 1910, he was a candidate to succeed Anselm J. McLaurin in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, and received 23 votes from the legislature before withdrawing. On April 16, 1910, Governor

Edmond Noel Edmond Favor Noel (March 4, 1856 – July 30, 1927) was an American attorney and politician who served as governor of Mississippi from 1908 to 1912. The son of an early planter family in Mississippi, he became a member of the Democratic Party. ...

appointed Anderson to the

. He resigned from this post on October 1, 1911, and continued practicing law in Tupelo. Then, he was a counsel to the Mobile & Ohio as well as the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company. In 1920, Anderson was elected to the

for the 1921-1929 term. He and his fellow justices appear in a photo montage in the 1931-1933 Mississippi Blue Book.
Mississippi Blue Book. Biennial report of the Secretary of State to the Legislature of Mississippi
', 931-1933

Personal life

Anderson married Lena Bell Clayton on January 27, 1886. They had 5 children, named Clayton, John Russell, Mary Agnes, Lena Bell, and Charles.

References

External links

Findagrave entry
1862 births 1952 deaths People from Tupelo, Mississippi University of Missouri School of Law alumni Mayors of places in Mississippi Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Mississippi state senators Justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians {{US-state-judge-stub

Early life

Professional career

Personal life

See also

References

External links