He was born in Allenford, Ontario, the son of Duncan Anderson and Elizabeth Perkins. In 1912, he married Laura Margaret Foster. He worked as a barber, and also served as the director of a credit union and a consumer cooperative society. Anderson went overseas with the 141st Battalion during World War I. He served on the council for Fort William and was mayor from 1943 to 1948.
References
Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1947, PG Normandin
F. Brent Scollie, Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors 1873-1945 (Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2000), 158.