Interview of John Anderson
Interviewed by Bob Beatty and Mark Peterson
This transcript of two interviews of former Kansas Governor John Anderson, conducted in 2003 and 2007, are part of the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project. In these interviews Anderson described his path from a rural farm upbringing to his legal and political career, highlighting his roles as a prosecutor, state senator, and state Attorney General. In the interviews Anderson recalled his gubernatorial priorities, such as school consolidation and expanding state aid for higher education, while also defending his stance on enforcing the death penalty. Anderson offered an insider's perspective on bipartisan legislative strategy, the evolution of the Kansas Republican Party, and the ethical responsibilities of public leadership.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century for the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors Collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here.John Anderson, Jr. was born on May 8, 1917 in Johnson County near Olathe, KS, attended public schools, and graduated from Olathe High School in 1935. He attended Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (now Kansas State University). He graduated from the University of Kansas and with a bachelor’s degree in 1943 and a law degree in 1944.
Anderson began his law career in Olathe and in 1946 was elected Johnson County attorney as a Republican. He was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1952 and was appointed Kansas Attorney General in 1956. He was Attorney General until he was elected Kansas Governor in 1960. He was reelected in 1962. As governor, Anderson advocated for civil rights. He also convinced the legislature to enhance the community college system and add Wichita State University to the state university system governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. Anderson worked for consolidation of local school districts and that effort resulted in decreasing the number of school districts in the state from more than 1,000 to approximately 300.
In 1965 Anderson returned to the private practice of law in Olathe but remained active in politics. In 1972, he unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination for governor a third time. That year, Republicans chose Morris Kay who lost in the general election to Robert Docking.
Anderson died in Olathe on September 15, 2014, at the age of 97.
May 8, 1917
September 15, 2014
Republican
County Attorney, Johnson County, KS 1946-1952
State Senator, Kansas Senate 1952-1956
Attorney General, State of Kansas 1956-1961
Olathe, KS
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