John C. Anderson ( – October 3, 1983) was a member of the Philadelphia City Council from 1979 to 1983. Although it was not widely known at the time, Anderson, a Black gay man, was the first person from the LGBTQ community to serve on the council. In 2023, Rue Landau became the first openly LGBT person elected to the Philadelphia City Council.
Early life and education
Anderson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Elizabeth Anderson Monteiro, a teacher, and the Rev. Jesse Anderson, Sr (d. 1975), a civil rights activist.Chuck Stone, "Praise for a Great Man's Legacy," Philadelphia Daily News, October 7, 1983, p. 2, retrieved 2022-10-04 His brother was Rev. Jesse Anderson, Jr, one of the founders of Washington DC's Statehood Party. They grew up in Philadelphia where their father was pastor at St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
Anderson graduated from Overbrook High School in 1959. He received his BA from Lincoln University in 1963 and his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1969.
Career
He worked as an assistant district attorney and then as a partner at Bloom, Ocks, Fisher, and Anderson. Before being elected to city council, Anderson served as counsel to the City Council president.Editorial, "John Anderson," Philadelphia Daily News, October 4, 1983, p. 27, retrieved 2022-10-04
City Council
In 1979, Anderson was elected as an at-large member to the Philadelphia City Council."Councilman Anderson, 41, dies of respiratory ailment," Philadelphia Inquirer, October 4, 1983, p. 4-A, retrieved 2022-10-04 Anderson lived in Wynnefield.Gar Joseph and Linn Washington, "Colleagues Eulogize John Anderson," Philadelphia Daily News, October 7, 1983, p. 6, retrieved 2022-10-04 He was known as “a liberal lion of the time." He helped pass the Housing Opportunities Bill, a move against housing discrimination. In 1981, Anderson and John White Jr., also a council member, visited Israel.
In May 1983, Anderson was the top vote-getter in the primary for at-large city council seats.Kit Konolige, "Anderson Followed 'Call to Serve'," Philadelphia Daily News, October 8, 1983, p. 24, retrieved 2022-10-04
Death
On October 3, 1983, he died of AIDS at the age of 41, though it was reported as he died from sarcoidosis. At the time, he was running for re-election to the council. Michael Nutter, who later served as mayor of Philadelphia, was Anderson's campaign manager in 1983. The funeral was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in West Philadelphia. Then Mayor William J. Green III called Anderson "a vital force in City Council."Kit Konolige, "Anderson Recalled as 'Always in a Hurry'," Philadelphia Daily News, October 4, 1983, p. 5, retrieved 2022-10-04 The Philadelphia Daily News editorialized that he had been "remarkably talented" as a legislator and added "his loss is a loss for the entire city."
Legacy
In 2014, the John C. Anderson Apartments opened on Spruce Street in Philadelphia as a place for LGBTQ seniors. A portrait of Anderson, painted by William Thomas Whiting, is in the lobby. The John C. Anderson Cultural Center is located at 5301 Overbrook Avenue in Philadelphia. Anderson's papers are held at Temple University.
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