William Gilbert Anderson (September 9, 1860 – July 7, 1947)Ohles, John F. (1978). ''Biographical Dictionary of American Educators''. Greenwood Press. pp. 37-38. was an American pioneer of

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

, physician and writer. Anderson was born in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,365. It lies on the shore o ...

. He was educated at Amherst College and the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He studied at

Cleveland Medical College Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

and received his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

in 1883. From 1883 to 1892 he worked as a physician at the Adelphi Academy and directed the Brooklyn Normal School for Physical Education (1885–1892).Hoolihan, Christopher. (2008). ''An Annotated Catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater Collection of American Popular Medicine and Health Reform, Volume 3''. University of Rochester Press. p. 25. In 1885, he was appointed director of the gymnasium at the Adelphi Academy. In 1892, he was appointed associate director of Yale University Gymnasium and became its director in 1894. He was the director of physical education at Yale University (1894–1930). He organized the College Physical Education Association in 1897. Anderson was an organizer for the American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education, founded in 1885. His Normal School of Gymnastics in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

became Arnold College and is part of the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own ...

. Dr. Anderson was elected into the National Academy of Kinesiology (née American Academy of Physical Education) in 1938 as Fellow #39.

Publications

*''Light Gymnastics: A Guide to Systematic Instruction in Physical Training'' (1890)
''Methods of Teaching Gymnastics''
(1896)
''Anderson's Physical Education: Health and Strength, Grace and Symmetry''
(1897) *''The Making of a Perfect Man'' (1901) *''Manual of Physical Training'' (1914)

References

1860 births 1947 deaths 19th-century American physicians American exercise and fitness writers American gymnastics coaches Case Western Reserve University alumni People associated with physical culture Strength training writers Yale University faculty Amherst College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni {{US-physician-stub