Richard Clough Anderson Jr. (August 4, 1788 – July 24, 1826) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat fromJefferson County, Kentucky. He served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from Kentucky. He is the son ofRichard Clough Anderson Sr. and the grandfather ofLarz Anderson.^[1]

Anderson was born atSoldier's Retreat nearLouisville, Kentucky. His father,Richard Clough Anderson Sr., was a Revolutionary War Lt. Colonel in the 5th Virginia continentals, who led the advance of the Americans at the battle of Trenton (24 December 1776), crossing the Delaware River in the first boat.

Anderson attended private schools, later graduating fromThe College of William & Mary inWilliamsburg, Virginia in 1804.^[2] He later studiedlaw under JudgeSt. George Tucker and was admitted to the bar, practicing law in Louisville.^[3] His mother was Elizabeth Clark Anderson, of the Rogers Clark family.^[3] All of his uncles from his mother's side were military officers—five of them during the Revolutionary War. Two of his uncles had become quite famous: GeneralGeorge Rogers Clark, hero of the taking ofFort Sackville atVincennes, IN, and considered to be the founder of Louisville, and CaptainWilliam Clark, of theLewis and Clark Expedition. His younger brothers included civil war generalRobert Anderson and Ohio GovernorCharles Anderson.

Anderson was elected to theKentucky House of Representatives in 1815 and then was elected as aDemocratic-Republican to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1816 and 1818, serving in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses from March 4, 1817, through March 3, 1821.^[3] While in Congress, Anderson served as the chairman of the House Committee on Public Lands in the Sixteenth Congress. Anderson did not seek reelection to the House in 1820. He later served again as a member of theKentucky House of Representatives in 1821 and 1822 and served asSpeaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1822.

Anderson was appointed as the first United States Minister Plenipotentiary to theGran Colombia on January 27, 1823. Prior to his departure, he sold several of his slaves to improve his finances.^[4] In 1824 he negotiated withPedro Gual and concluded theAnderson–Gual Treaty, the first bilateral treaty that the U.S. signed with anotherAmerican state. Anderson took his leave from his post on June 7, 1825, after being commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to thePanama Congress of Nations.^[5]

Anderson died en route to his post in Turbaco, nearCartagena, Colombia on July 24, 1826. He is buried at Soldier's Retreat.^[6]

Anderson County, Kentucky is named in his honor.

• Allen, William B. (1872).A History of Kentucky: Embracing Gleanings, Reminiscences, Antiquities, Natural Curiosities, Statistics, and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers, Soldiers, Jurists, Lawyers, Statesmen, Divines, Mechanics, Farmers, Merchants, and Other Leading Men, of All Occupations and Pursuits. Bradley & Gilbert. pp. 253–254. RetrievedNovember 10, 2008.

• Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website

• 1788 births
• 1826 deaths
• College of William & Mary alumni
• Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky
• Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
• Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives
• Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery
• Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia
• 19th-century American diplomats
• Democratic-Republican Party United States representatives from Kentucky
• 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly
• 19th-century United States representatives

• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The BDA (1906)
• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The BDA (1906) with Wikisource reference
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