William C. Anderson was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania on August 18, 1804. He attended Washington College in Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor's degree in 1824. Anderson was licensed by the Presbytery of Washington, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1827. He was a missionary in North Carolina from 1827 until 1829 and an agent of the Presbyterian Board from 1829 until 1831. Anderson served as pastor of a Presbyterian church in Pigeon Creek, Pennsylvania, from 1831 until 1836. Between 1837 and 1843, he became Professor of Rhetoric at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana but resigned the following year. Anderson and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio to pastor a church from 1845 to 1849. In 1849 he was appointed President of Miami University, a post he retained until 1854. During his tenure, Anderson restored Miami to a sound financial footing, while University enrollment nearly quadrupled. After leaving Miami, Anderson returned to ministerial duties, pastoring congregations in Ohio, Indiana, California, and Kansas. He died on August 28, 1870 in Junction City, Kansas.
From the guide to the William C. Anderson Collection, 1849-1854, 1849-1854, (Miami University)
