Editing Clinton Anderson (section)

=== New Mexico government and politics ===
Anderson returned to public life, becoming chairman of the [[New Mexico Democratic Party]] in 1928 and [[state treasurer]] of New Mexico in 1933. That was followed by appointments as director of the Bureau of Revenue, relief administrator for the State of New Mexico, Western States Field Coordinator for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, State Director of the National Youth Administration, chairman of the New Mexico Unemployment Security Division, and managing director of the Coronado Cuarto Centennial Commission, among others. It was Anderson's style to take on a newly created position or an emergency situation, to organize it, and then to leave when he felt that all was running smoothly.

In 1940, a conflict among members of the state Democratic Party resulted in Congressman [[John J. Dempsey]] being disqualified from running for another term as New Mexico's only representative. Party members convinced Anderson to run for the seat, which he won by using his many business and political contacts throughout the state. For the next three decades, he divided his time between Albuquerque and [[Washington, D.C.]]

Anderson became known for his thorough investigative work, and during his three terms in the House of Representatives, he was assigned to several special committees, including the chairmanship of the Special Committee to Investigate Food Shortages in 1945. The committee argued for a streamlined food distribution system and emphasized long-range planning for increasing food production. His success in that assignment, along with their personal friendship, led to his appointment by President [[Harry S. Truman]] as United States secretary of agriculture.<ref>{{cite video
 | title =Video: Air Forces Come Home Via Bomber, 1945/05/28 (1945)
 | url =https://archive.org/details/1945-05-28_Air_Forces_Come_Home_Via_Bomber
 | publisher =[[Universal Newsreel]]
 | access-date = 2012-02-20
 | date = 1945-05-28
}}</ref>