William H. Anderson
Encyclopedia
William Hamilton Anderson (1874 - circa 1959) was the superintendent of the New York Anti-Saloon League
. He worked toward the prohibition of alcohol and the closing of saloons. In 1924 a jury convicted him of skimming contributions to the league.
in 1874. He received his B.S. from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois
in 1892 and an LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1896.
In 1900, he became an attorney for the Illinois Anti-Saloon League
. He married Clarice Otwell (1872–1947) on October 23, 1901 and they had the following children: Frederick O. Anderson (1904-?); and Elinor H. Anderson (1908-?). Clarice was the daughter of Justinian Strange Otwell (1830–1888) and Ann Elizabeth Barrick (1837-?). In 1906 he became Associate State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League
of New York, a position he held until 1914.
William H. Anderson wrote a letter on July 24, 1914 and it was published in the New York Times on July 29, 1914:
On July 3, 1924 he was indicted for forgery
. He died around 1959.
New York Anti-Saloon League
The New York Anti-Saloon League was an American organization that worked toward the prohibition of alcohol and the closing of saloons. Located at 156 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it was an offshoot of the Ohio based Anti-Saloon League. Adna W. Leonard of Buffalo, New York was its president. The...
. He worked toward the prohibition of alcohol and the closing of saloons. In 1924 a jury convicted him of skimming contributions to the league.
Biography
He was born in Carlinville, IllinoisCarlinville, Illinois
Carlinville is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 5,685, and 5,912 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Macoupin County, and so it is an outlying part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St...
in 1874. He received his B.S. from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois
Carlinville, Illinois
Carlinville is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 5,685, and 5,912 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Macoupin County, and so it is an outlying part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St...
in 1892 and an LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1896.
In 1900, he became an attorney for the Illinois Anti-Saloon League
Anti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was a key component of the Progressive Era, and was strongest in the South and rural North, drawing heavy support from pietistic Protestant ministers and their...
. He married Clarice Otwell (1872–1947) on October 23, 1901 and they had the following children: Frederick O. Anderson (1904-?); and Elinor H. Anderson (1908-?). Clarice was the daughter of Justinian Strange Otwell (1830–1888) and Ann Elizabeth Barrick (1837-?). In 1906 he became Associate State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League
Anti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was a key component of the Progressive Era, and was strongest in the South and rural North, drawing heavy support from pietistic Protestant ministers and their...
of New York, a position he held until 1914.
William H. Anderson wrote a letter on July 24, 1914 and it was published in the New York Times on July 29, 1914:
Liquor and the Drug Traffic.
To the Editor of the New York Times:
In view of the claim by opponents of prohibition that drug using is most prevalent and serious where the sale of liquor has been prohibited, I wish, while the matter is still fresh in the public mind, to call attention to the extent of the drug traffic in New York, where there is certainly no lack of liquor, as indicated by the immense amount of news and comment in the new York papers. The opponents of prohibition argue that if a prohibitory law is not enforced it should be repealed, yet nobody seems to be arguing for a repeal of the drug law. I desire also to call attention to the traffic in drugs in the prisons as indicating how little regard the political appointees of a corrupt liquor organization like Tammany have for any law they are supposed to enforce. It is also noteworthy that the recent National Convention of Alienists and Neurologists put alcohol first in the list of causes of insanity and derangement, and drugs lower down the scale. William H. Anderson, State Superintendent Anti-Saloon league of New York.
New York, July 24, 1914.
On July 3, 1924 he was indicted for forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
. He died around 1959.
Quote
When prohibition was passed he wrote: "Be a good sport about it. No more falling off the water wagon. Uncle Sam will help you keep your pledge."Archive
Publications
- The Church in Action Against the Saloon; American Issue Publishing Company (1910)
- New York Times; July 29, 1914; Liquor and the Drug Traffic.
- The Outlook magazine; A Look at What the Prohibition Amendment Might Look Like; December 27, 1916
Timeline
- 1874 Birth
- 1892 Graduation from Blackburn College
- 1900 Attorney for Illinois Anti-Saloon League
- 1901 Marriage to Clarice Otwell (1872–1947) on October 23
- 1906 Associate State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of New York
- 1914 Start as General State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of New York
- 1919 Honorary LL.D. from Illinois Wesleyan
- 1924 End as General State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of New York
- 1924 Indictment for forgery on July 3
- 1924 Sing-Sing
- 1925 Release from prison
Further reading
- The Reminiscences of William H. Anderson; Transcript of interviews conducted April and May 1950 by W. Link
- New York Times; August 30, 1947, Saturday; Mrs. W. H. Anderson.
- Time (magazine)Time (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
; November 16, 1925. Nowadays the country is facing the "enforcement crisis" and last week the Anti-Saloon League meeting in Chicago called its biennial convention by that name. It was a great meeting. To it came Bishop Thomas Nicholson, President of the League; Francis Scott McBrideFrancis Scott McBrideFrancis Scott McBride was a Presbyterian minister active in the Anti-Saloon League. He featured on the cover of Time magazine on 3 June 1929.- External links :* * Time Monday, September 26, 1927*...
, General Superintendent; Wayne B. Wheeler, its Washington representative; William H. Anderson, former superintendent of the New York State branch ... - Time (magazine)Time (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
; July 6, 1925. Last week, William H. Anderson announced the foundation of A. P. P. P. A. (American Prohibition Protestant Patriotic Protective Alliance). What is it? It is an "organization," but it has no members and no charter—not being incorporated. It has no oath. It keeps no books. All its financial transactions are oral. All contributions to it are in the form of "outright personal gifts to William H. Anderson, its founder and general secretary, to be used in any way he sees fit." The object of this strange type of organization is to make the four P's Alliance "persecution proof and uninvestigable." ... - New York Times; March 26, 1924, Wednesday; Anderson in Prison, Protests Innocence; Submits Grimly to Fingerprinting, Then Is Taken to Sing Sing to Be No. 75,745. William Hamilton Anderson stepped at 2:15 o'clock yesterday afternoon into the main entrance of Sing Sing Prison at Ossining. Two minutes later, as Convict 75,745, he began a sentence of from a year to two years for forgery.
- New York Times; April 4, 1918, Thursday; The repudiation of William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
as a "leader" of the prohibition movement in this country is advocated in an article published by William H. Anderson, State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon LeagueAnti-Saloon LeagueThe Anti-Saloon League was the leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. It was a key component of the Progressive Era, and was strongest in the South and rural North, drawing heavy support from pietistic Protestant ministers and their...
, in this week's, number of the American Issue, the official ...