Charles Anderson
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Charles Anderson (June 1, 1814 - September 2, 1895) was first a Whig and later a Republican politician from Ohio. He served briefly as the 27th Governor of Ohio.
Anderson was born in Louisville, Kentucky to a prominent family; his father was an aide to the Marquis de Lafayette during the American Revolution. Anderson graduated from Miami University in 1833, studied law and was admitted to the Ohio bar. He moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he began a law practice and was later elected county prosecutor. In 1844, he was elected to the Ohio Senate and made a name for himself as an advocate for black rights.
He then moved to Texas for health reasons. He gave a speech in San Antonio in December 1860, opposing secession and calling for the "perpetuity of the national Union." Angry local pro-Confederates threatened Anderson and then arrested him without charge, but Anderson escaped and returned with his family to Dayton.
President Abraham Lincoln sent Anderson on a pro-Union speaking tour of Europe, after which Anderson accepted command of the 93rd Ohio Volunteer infantry regiment. Badly wounded at the Battle of Murfreesboro or Stones River, Anderson resigned his commission and returned to Ohio. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1863 and took office in 1864. He became Governor on August 29, 1865 upon the death of Governor John Brough.
Anderson served less than five months, until January 8, 1866. Ohio historian Dwight L. Smith wrote that his brief term in office as "uneventful... [and] the services he performed were merely routine." After leaving the governorship, Anderson resumed his legal practice and moved to Kentucky, where he died in 1895.
Anderson's brother Major Robert Anderson was a United States Army officer, notable for his unsuccessful defense of Fort Sumter at the outset of the American Civil War.
| Preceded by: John Brough | Governors of Ohio | Succeeded by: Jacob Dolson Cox |
| Preceded by: Benjamin Stanton | Lieutenant Governor of Ohio 1864-1865 | Succeeded by: Andrew R. McBurney |
Charles Anderson was also the name of a convict on Sydney's Goat Island in the 19th Century.
Charles Anderson was also the recipient of a Victoria Cross for valour.