Anderson, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Yale, earned graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and is known as a translator and author of many works on Lutheran history.
Prior to his tenure at Luther he was on the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina, and served as its president from 1970 to 1982.
As bishop, Anderson wrote a regular column in "The Lutheran" magazine, and completed "A Good Time to Be the Church, A Conversation with Bishop H. George Anderson," Augsburg Books, February 1997.
Other works include co-authorship of several volumes of the "Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue" series, many scholarly essays, book chapters and translations over the course of three decades.
Anderson is currently retired and living in Decorah, Iowa.