Albert R. Anderson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) From theEvening Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), July 17, 1897 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 8th congressional district | |
| In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Hepburn |
| Succeeded by | James P. Flick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 8, 1837 |
| Died | November 17, 1898 (aged 61) |
| Political party | Independent Republican |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | .svg) Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit | 4th Iowa Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Albert Raney Anderson (November 8, 1837 – November 17, 1898) was a one-termU.S. Representative fromIowa's 8th congressional district in southwestern Iowa. He is best known for winning election to Congress and defeating a well-known incumbent, without winning his own party's endorsement.
Born inAdams County, Ohio, Anderson moved with his parents toGalesburg, Illinois. He attended the common schools andKnox College, in Galesburg. He moved toTaylor County, Iowa, in 1857 and studied law. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1860 and commenced practice inClarinda, Iowa. He was appointedpostmaster of Clarinda by President Lincoln in 1861.He resigned to enlist in theUnion Army as aprivate in Company K,4th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was commissioned first lieutenant for gallant service at theBattle of Pea Ridge, became captain during theSiege of Vicksburg and assistant Adjutant-General during theAtlanta campaign.[1] He was promoted through the ranks to becomemajor of his regiment, and was commissionedlieutenant colonel in 1865. He was mustered out in August 1865 and returned to Clarinda.
Anderson moved toSidney, Iowa, in 1866 and resumed the practice of law. He served as assessor of internal revenue from 1868 to 1871. He was a delegate to theRepublican National Convention atPhiladelphia in 1872. He served asdistrict attorney from 1876 to 1880. and state railroad commissioner for a single term beginning in 1881. In 1882, he was the Republican Party's nominee for election to theForty-eighth Congress inIowa's 9th congressional district, but was defeated by DemocratWilliam Henry Mills Pusey.[2] Two years later, Anderson was not the Republican nominee, but he was credited with causing the nomination of "dark horse" candidateJoseph Lyman,[3] who then defeated Pusey in the general election.
In April 1886,Fremont County, where Anderson lived, was added to theIowa's 8th congressional district, which RepublicanWilliam Peters Hepburn had represented since 1881.[4] Anderson immediately ran for Hepburn's seat. Refusing to heed the Republican district convention's endorsement of Hepburn, he ran in the general election as an "Independent Republican." While remaining a Republican, he ran hard on a platform of stricter regulation of the railroads, and the use of tariffs for revenue only, that earned him the joint endorsement of theDemocratic andGreenback parties.[4] Anderson won the general election decisively, by 2,225 votes.[4] Hepburn's defeat caused many of his colleagues in the House to worry that they might meet the same fate if they did not respond to the popular anger by supporting stricter federal railroad regulation."[5]
Anderson served in theFiftieth Congress, voting with the Democratic caucus forJohn G. Carlisle as its choice forSpeaker of the House but sitting with the Republicans.[6] Hepburn waited several years before attempting to regain his seat. However, a different winner of the Republican endorsement process,James Patton Flick, defeated Anderson in the next general election. In all, Anderson served in Congress from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1889.
One of the last votes Anderson cast in Congress was on theEnabling Act of 1889, which set in motion the admission into the union ofNorth Dakota,South Dakota,Montana, andWashington. In 1892, after leaving Congress, Anderson moved toHot Springs inFall River County, South Dakota, where he continued to practice law. He served as mayor of Hot Springs in 1895 and 1896, and was electedState attorney of Fall River County on November 8, 1898.
Anderson died at Hot Springs on November 17, 1898. He was interred in Sidney Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 8th congressional district 1887 – 1889 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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