William R. Anderson
| William Robert Anderson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district |
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In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Ross Bass |
| Succeeded by | Robin Beard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 17, 1921 Bakerville, Tennessee |
| Died | February 25, 2007 (aged 85) Leesburg, Virginia |
| Nationality |
 American
|
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Anderson |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy |
William Robert Anderson (June 17, 1921 – February 25, 2007) was an officer in the United States Navy, and a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1965 to 1973.
Anderson was born in Humphreys County, Tennessee in the rural community of Bakerville, south of Waverly. He attended primary school in Waynesboro, Tennessee where his father ran a sawmill. He graduated from the former Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee in 1938, and from the United States Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 1943, which graduated early in 1942.
Anderson's service in World War II was distinguished. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and participated in a total of eleven combat submarine patrols.
He was selected by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover to be the second commanding officer of the first nuclear submarine to be placed into service, the USS Nautilus and was its commander from 1957 to 1959. Anderson and his crew received international notice when the Nautilus became the first submarine to sail successfully under the polar ice cap surrounding the North Pole.
That transit was completed under direct orders of President Dwight Eisenhower, under extreme secrecy and was in direct response to the launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Russians. The president felt that such a display of technological and military capability would offset the advantage won by the Soviets with Sputnik. The voyage by Anderson and his crew led the way for other submarine exploration beneath the ice cap and gave a decided military advantage to the US. Anderson received the Legion of Merit from Eisenhower for leading his crew and ship on the historic mission.
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