Glenn M. Anderson

Glenn Malcolm Anderson (February 21, 1913 – December 13, 1994) was an American politician. He was the 37th lieutenant governor of California and later represented Southern Los Angeles County (including Carson, San Pedro, and Long Beach) in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Glenn M. Anderson
Anderson in 1975
Chair of House Transportation Committee
In office March 25, 1988 – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	James J. Howard
Succeeded by	Robert A. Roe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Cecil R. King
Succeeded by	Steve Horn (Redistricting)
Constituency	17th district (1969–73) 35th district (1973–75) 32nd district (1975–93)
37th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office January 5, 1959 – January 2, 1967
Governor	Pat Brown
Preceded by	Harold J. Powers
Succeeded by	Robert Finch
Member of the California State Assembly from the 46th district
In office January 4, 1943 – January 8, 1951
Preceded by	Jack Tenney
Succeeded by	Charles Edward Chapel
Mayor of Hawthorne
In office 1940–1943
Personal details
Born	(1913-02-21)February 21, 1913 Hawthorne, California, U.S.
Died	December 13, 1994(1994-12-13) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1945
Battles/wars	World War II

Early life and education

Anderson was born on February 21, 1913, in Hawthorne, California. He received a Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Los Angeles in 1936. He worked as a real estate developer and served in the United States Army as an infantry sergeant during World War II.

Career

California Legislature

Anderson was mayor of Hawthorne from 1940 to 1943 and a member of the California State Assembly for the 46th district from 1943 to 1951. He served as lieutenant governor of California from 1959 to 1967, a tenure most notable for his actions relating to the 1965 Watts riots. With Governor Pat Brown vacationing in Greece when the riots broke out in August, 1965, Anderson served as acting governor. When Los Angeles officials urgently requested state support to quell the riots, Anderson waited five hours before granting approval. The subsequent controversy dogged Anderson for the remainder of his career and was a major factor in his 1966 defeat at the hands of Republican Robert Finch.

U.S. House

Anderson was first elected to the 91st Congress in 1968 and served 12 terms from 1969 to 1993. As a former real estate developer, he successfully sought a seat on the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, of which he would become chair in 1988. His House colleagues claimed that Anderson's abilities slipped dramatically in the late 1980s because of his advancing age. State Democratic leaders went so far as to suggest reapportionment in 1991 that would carve up Anderson's harbor area district. He was removed as Committee Chairman after only 33 months.

He decided not to run for re-election in 1992.

Personal life

Anderson underwent multiple heart bypass surgery in 1988. He died on December 13, 1994, at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital Pavilion. The cause of death was complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 81.

He is interred in Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

The Los Angeles Harbor ship channel is named in his honor, and the Interstate 105 in South Los Angeles is named the "Glenn M. Anderson Freeway".

External links

• United States Congress. "Glenn M. Anderson (id: A000189)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Glenn M. Anderson at Find a Grave
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Join California - Glenn M. Anderson Archived 2007-03-02 at the Wayback Machine