biographyJohn B. Anderson, born on February 15, 1922 in Rockford Illinois, was educated at University of Illinois and Harvard Law School. Anderson entered the foreign service in 1952 and state politics in 1956. He represented Illinois as a Republican in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1981 and ran unsuccessfully for U. S. president in 1980.
He served as chairman of the House Republican Conference from 1969 until 1979, when he declared his presidential candidacy and withdrew from reelection to the House. However, Anderson campaigned as an independent, after loosing the Republican primary to Reagan, winning about 7 percent of the popular vote.
He is believed to have contributed to Reagan's landslide victory over Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter by pulling many liberal voters away from the Democratic party. His published writings include Between Two Worlds: A Congressman's Choice (1970) and Vision and Betrayal in America (1975).
