Samuel Wagner Anderson (1898–1962) was an American businessman who served as assistant secretary of commerce for international affairs under U.S. president

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

from 1953 to 1955.

Early life and education

Anderson was born and raised in

LaCrosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

. He graduated ''cum laude'' from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, where he was also a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, and then graduated with distinction from the Harvard School of Business. Anderson became a clerk at

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

in 1922, and within ten years had become vice president and a general partner.

Career

Anderson moved back and forth between business and government service several times. He was a partner at the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in 1941, when he was asked to work for the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

, directing the aluminum and magnesium expansion program. After World War II, he returned to investment banking, this time at

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1850. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merril ...

, but in 1948 went back to Washington to serve on the

Economic Cooperation Administration The Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) was a U.S. government agency set up in 1948 to administer the Marshall Plan. It reported to both the State Department and the Department of Commerce. The agency's first head was Paul G. Hoffman, a form ...

, which administered the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

. In 1949, Anderson began working for the

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers lo ...

, where he was in charge of Latin American affairs. He then worked in the

Defense Production Administration The Defense Production Administration (DPA) was an independent agency of the United States government for oversight and control of the defense production programs of the United States during wartime mobilization in the Korean War era. History and m ...

, overseeing aluminum. Anderson became Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Affairs when President Eisenhower took office in 1953. In this position, he called for the liberalization of international trade to meet "the necessity of giving our friends abroad the opportunity to earn their way by selling more to us." Anderson resigned in 1955 to return to business, citing a "desire to rebuild his personal finances." After leaving government, Anderson became an honorary fund-raising chair of the

Planned Parenthood Federation of America The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

, and began speaking publicly about the need to stem rapid population growth, both in the United States and overseas. He also served on the board of trustees of the

Population Reference Bureau The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is a private, nonprofit organization specializing in collecting and supplying statistics necessary for research and/or academic purposes focused on the environment, and health and structure of populations. The ...

Personal life

Anderson married Lorraine Annette Combs in 1926. They had two children, Mary Lorraine and Michael Mons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Samuel A. United States Department of Commerce officials Eisenhower administration personnel People from La Crosse, Wisconsin Williams College alumni Harvard Business School alumni 1898 births 1962 deaths Goldman Sachs people