Editing Thomas J. Anderson (author)

{{short description|Columnist, farmer, editor and publisher}}
{{more footnotes|date=October 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name        = Thomas Anderson
|image       = Thomas J. Anderson.jpg
|caption     = Anderson in 1962
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1910|11|10}}
|birth_place = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
|death_date  = {{death date and age|2002|8|30|1910|11|10}}
|death_place = [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], U.S.
|party       = [[American Independent Party|American Independent]]<br />{{small|(1972–1976)}}<br />[[American Party (1969)|American]] {{small|(1976–1978)}}
|spouse      = Carolyn Montague Jennings
|children    = Carol
|education   = [[Vanderbilt University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
}}
'''Thomas Jefferson Anderson''' (November 10, 1910&nbsp;– August 30, 2002) was an American author, journalist, and farmer.  He was the [[American Independent Party]] [[Vice President of the United States|vice presidential]] nominee under [[John G. Schmitz]] in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]] and the [[American Party (1969)|American Party]] presidential nominee in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]].

==Early life==
Thomas Jefferson Anderson was born in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]; the second of five children of William Joseph and Nancy Lou Anderson. After graduating from [[Baylor School]] in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], Tennessee, Anderson attended [[Vanderbilt University]] in Nashville, where he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in [[economics]] in 1934. At Vanderbilt, he excelled in athletics, earning varsity letters as a member of both the varsity tennis and track teams. He was business editor of the school's yearbook, ''The Commodore'', and served on the student newspaper staff.  Anderson was elected president of his [[fraternity]], [[Phi Delta Theta]].

In 1936, he married the former Carolyn Montague Jennings of [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]], Tennessee. Miss Jennings, also a graduate of Vanderbilt University, was elected "Miss Vanderbilt" during her senior year.

After graduation, he sold securities for several Nashville-based brokerage firms, including J. C. Bradford & Company, and also worked as an ad-salesman for the ''Southern Agriculturist''.  He was a veteran of [[World War II]], having served as a [[lieutenant]] in the [[U.S. Navy]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

==Publishing==
In 1947, Anderson purchased ''The Arkansas Farmer'', the first of sixteen regional farm magazines he acquired and operated as part of Nashville-based Southern Unit Publications, Inc.  Additionally, he became [[publisher]] and [[editor]] of ''The Farm and Ranch Magazine'', a nationally circulated monthly publication based in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]. Anderson was the supervising editor and author of the column ''Straight Talk'' which appeared in the magazines and was reprinted in more than 375 newspapers. In 1957, a series of the columns was reprinted in a book, also titled ''Straight Talk''.  He later produced a weekly radio program of the same name.  He spent much of his life as a speaker, publisher and writer, crusading for conservative causes.  He won numerous patriotic awards including the Liberty Award of the Congress of Freedom {{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} and the Freedom Award of [[Freedoms Foundation]] at [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania|Valley Forge]], [[Pennsylvania]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}.

==Political involvement==
In [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]], he was the [[American Independent Party]] vice presidential nominee, appearing on the ticket with [[U.S. Representative]] [[John G. Schmitz]], a former [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] from [[California]]. The duo finished third in the popular vote with 1,100,868 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1972&minper=0&f=1&off=0&elect=0|title=1972 Presidential General Election Results}}</ref>

In [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]], he was the [[American Party (1969)|American Party]]'s presidential nominee on a ticket with Rufus Shackleford.&nbsp; They finished sixth in the general election with 158,724 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1976&minper=0&f=1&off=0&elect=0|title=1976 Presidential General Election Results}}</ref>&nbsp; The campaign received its best results in [[Virginia (U.S. state)|Virginia]], where Anderson-Shackleford received 16,686 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1976&fips=51&f=1&off=0&elect=0|title=1976 Presidential General Election Results&nbsp;— Virginia}}</ref>&nbsp; The ticket also finished third in three states: [[Kentucky]], <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1976&fips=21&f=1&off=0&elect=0|title=1976 Presidential General Election Results&nbsp;— Kentucky}}</ref> [[North Dakota]]<ref>{{cite report | date=16 November 1976 | title=Official Abstract of Votes Cast at the General Election Held November 2, 1976 | url=https://vip.sos.nd.gov/pdfs/Abstracts%20by%20Year/1970%20through%201978%20Statewide%20Election%20Results/1976/General%20Election%2011-02-1976.pdf}}</ref> and [[Indiana]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1976&fips=18&f=1&off=0&elect=0|title=1976 Presidential General Election Results&nbsp;— Indiana}}</ref>

In 1978, Anderson ran as the [[American Party (1969)|American Party]]-endorsed candidate for the [[U.S. Senate]] seat in Tennessee, but victory went to Republican [[Howard Baker, Jr.]] who won his third and final term in the chamber.&nbsp; Anderson appeared on the ballot as an [[Independent (politics)|independent]] due to state law, which requires a minimal number of signatures to appear as an independent but requires a full party petition consisting of tens of thousands of signatures to appear on the ballot with a party label.&nbsp; He received 45,908 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1978election.pdf%7C1978|publisher=House|title=1978 election results}}</ref>

==Later life==
Anderson remained active in conservative politics and was widely popular as a speaker, appearing on various TV and radio programs and delivering more than 1,500 speeches{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} between 1947 and 1994. He lived his later years in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

He was known for a great sense of humor: in some circles he was called "a modern-day [[Will Rogers]]," <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uncoveredpolitics.com/2012/10/01/time-capsule-american-partys-tom-anderson-calls-carter-a-wild-man/|title=Time Capsule: American Party Candidate Calls Jimmy Carter 'A Wild Man'}}</ref> in others "the barefoot wit of the [[John Birch Society]]."{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}  One of his most famous aphorisms was "Politicians are like [[cockroach]]es: It's not what they steal and carry away; it's what they fall into and mess up."  A colleague of Anderson's wrote:  "Tom Anderson is not a common man.  He is of the uncommon stock that conceived and created this republic. He is deeply devoted to the principles proclaimed in the [[U.S. Constitution]].  Tom Anderson is unaffected, practical and poetic.  If you want style and daring with the kick of a Tennessee mule, then Thomas Jefferson Anderson is your man.  A smile.  A grin.  An earnest patriot.  A shot of [[adrenaline|adrenalin]] in sluggish patriot veins.  By example of his life as well as by his word, Tom Anderson has made a permanent contribution to the literature and liberty under law."{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

Anderson liked to tell the following story, "A farmer was being plagued by a group of wild [[boar|hogs]]. He decided to capture them one by one. He built a corral in the woods, leaving an opening for an enclousure. Next he put corn in front of the corral. At first none of the hogs showed any interest. Finally, some of the young ones begin to go up and smell it and then run back to the herd. Finally one on them took an ear of corn and ran back and ate it. Slowly, the other hogs did the same. Each day the farmer put the corn a little closer to the corral with the same results by the hogs. At last he placed the corn inside the corral. As they were inside eating he gradually completed the enclousure, board by board, and the hogs didn't even notice because they were inside eating the free corn. Finally, he finished the gate and locked it. The hogs tried to get out, but he had 'em. FELLOW HOGS, WE'VE BEEN FENCED." .{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

Anderson was a past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association.  He and his wife were two of thirteen charter members of St. Paul's Southern Methodist Church in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]].

Anderson died on August 30, 2002, in Raleigh, North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theamericanparty.org/ |title=archived website for The American Party |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20030623081638/http://www.theamericanparty.org/ |archivedate = June 23, 2003}}</ref> He is interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, in [[Williamson County, Tennessee|Williamson County]], [[Tennessee]].

==Bibliography==
* ''Straight Talk: the Wit and Wisdom of Tom Anderson'' (1957)
* ''Silence Is Not Golden&nbsp;— It's Yellow'' (1973)
* ''Drink deeply from the fountain of knowledge. Don't just stand there and gargle.'' (1970)

{{Portal bar|United States|Texas|Journalism|Books|Politics|Conservatism}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv364794 Tom Anderson Papers at the University of Wyoming] - [[American Heritage Center]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060912023028/http://www.lib.utk.edu/refs/tnauthors/authors/anderson-t.html "Tennessee Authors" The University of Tennessee]
*[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tamucush/00041/tamu-00041.html Inventory of the Tom Anderson Papers] at Cushing Memorial Library, Texas A & M University.
* [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=4490 Photo of Thomas J. Anderson] our campaigns.com
* [https://scua.uoregon.edu/repositories/2/resources/2078 Tom Anderson papers] at the University of Oregon

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{{s-bef|before=[[Curtis LeMay]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[American Independent Party|American Independent]] nominee for [[Vice President of the United States]]|years=[[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Dyke|Bill Dyke]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[John G. Schmitz|John Schmitz]]|as=[[American Independent Party|American Independent]] nominee}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[American Party (1969)|American]] nominee for [[President of the United States]]|years=[[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Percy L. Greaves, Jr.|Percy Greaves]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Historical right-wing third party presidential tickets (U.S.)}}
{{United States presidential election, 1972}}
{{United States presidential election, 1976}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Thomas J.}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Tennessee politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American publishers (people)]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American Independent Party vice presidential nominees]]
[[Category:American magazine editors]]
[[Category:American magazine publishers (people)]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American Party (1969) politicians]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American United Methodists]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Farmers from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Tennessee]]
[[Category:John Birch Society members]]
[[Category:American segregationists]]
[[Category:Writers from Dallas]]
[[Category:Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Writers from Raleigh, North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Sevier County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Tennessee independents]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1976 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:1972 United States vice-presidential candidates]]
[[Category:Vanderbilt University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Phi Delta Theta members]]
[[Category:Liberty Lobby members]]