Charles N. Anderson (born June 29, 1945) is a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

from

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, who is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

for District 56. The district encompasses Waco and most of

McLennan County McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2021 county population estimate is 263,115. The county i ...

. He was first elected in 2004.

Early life

A graduate of the

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

School of Veterinary Medicine in College Station, Anderson has been a small animal veterinarian in Waco since 1981. Anderson began his involvement in the political process as an advocate for small business. He served on committees for the Texas Association of Business and the National Federation of Independent Businesses and was appointed to the Texas Small Business Advisory Council by former

Governor 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 ...

Rick Perry. In 1998 and 2000, he represented Texas as a delegate to the Congressional Small Business Summit in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Texas House of Representatives

Anderson sits on the Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee and the Rules & Resolution Committee. He has been the vice-chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock committee. Additionally, he has been appointed to the statewide Agricultural Policy Council, the multinational Energy Council, and the National Conference of State Legislatures Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and the Environment. Anderson serves on the Community College Caucus, Rural Caucus, Veteran Caucus, Clean Air Caucus, Republican Caucus, and the Texas Conservative Coalition. Anderson introduced major legislation concerning school bus safety belts,

Jessica's Law Jessica's Law is the informal name given to a 2005 Florida law, as well as laws in several other states, designed to protect potential victims and reduce a sexual offender's ability to re-offend. A version of Jessica's Law, known as the Jessica ...

, and a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote of the legislature to raise the 1 percent business

franchise tax A franchise tax is a government levy (tax) charged by some US states to certain business organizations such as corporations and partnerships with a nexus in the state. A franchise tax is not based on income. Rather, the typical franchise tax ca ...

. In his first term, he successfully obtained partial funding for the construction of the new Company F Headquarters for the

Texas Rangers Division The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers and also known as ''Los Diablos Tejanos'' (), is an investigative law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in the US state of Texas. It is based in the capital city of Aus ...

, which houses a public education center for the Rangers. During the 81st session, Anderson worked to secure funding for the Waco skate park and

Texas State Technical College Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public community college with 10 campuses throughout Texas. TSTC is the State of Texas's only public multicampus technical college, offering associate degrees and certificates in technical skills and trade ...

in Waco. Anderson has also been a leader in community organizations and in the veterinary medicine profession. In 2008, Anderson won the Republican renomination for his third term in the House by defeating Jonathan Sibley, a son of former State Senator David McAdams Sibley, Sr., also of Waco.

Personal life

He and his wife, Sandie, have one son and one grandson. He resides in Lorena, south of Waco.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Charles 1945 births Living people People from Waco, Texas American veterinarians Male veterinarians Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas A&M University alumni 21st-century American politicians People from Lorena, Texas