Alexander Outlaw Anderson (November 10, 1794 – May 23, 1869) was an American slave owner[1] and attorney who represented Tennessee in the United States Senate, and later served in the California State Senate, and on the California Supreme Court.

He was a member of the Whig party whose resignation was orchestrated by Governor James K. Polk so that a Democratic senator could be appointed.

[14][15] Anderson did not stand for reelection to the seat; it was to remain vacant for a period when a group of Tennessee Democratic legislators called the "Immortal Thirteen" refused to meet and give a quorum sufficient to allow the election of a successor, apparently preferring no representation to that by a member of the other party, the Whigs.

[16][17] In July 1847, he announced his support for Zachary Taylor of Louisiana as a candidate for President of the United States.

[22] He then was appointed by Governor John Bigler as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court, serving from April 6, 1852, to January 2, 1853, before returning to Tennessee in 1853 or 1854.

[27] During the American Civil War he returned to Alabama, practicing law in Mobile and Camden.