[1] Anderson was born in Columbus, Ohio on November 14, 1917; his family moved to Berkeley, California not long thereafter.
[1][3] After graduating from Harvard, Anderson married Betty Rushforth in 1942 and served in the United States Navy during World War II.
[1] In 1948, Anderson moved back to California, and was a vice president of Magna Power Tool Company.
[1][4] In 1961, he became the vice president of finance for Kern Country Land Company.
[5] In 1968, Anderson became the CEO of SRI International, a position he held until his retirement in 1980.