John Anderson (Newfoundland politician) facts for kids

John Anderson (born January 27, 1855 – died November 8, 1930) was an important person in Newfoundland's history. He was a successful businessman and a politician. He helped make decisions for the city of St. John's as a city councillor. He also served in the Newfoundland government, called the House of Assembly. One of his biggest achievements was helping to create the law for daylight saving time in 1917.

Early Life and Moving to Newfoundland

John Anderson was born in a place called Saltcoats, Scotland, in 1855. He went to school at Saltcoats Academy. In 1875, he moved across the ocean to Newfoundland. There, he joined a business company in St. John's called James Baird.

A Career in Politics

Anderson became involved in local government. From 1900 to 1904, he served on the St. John's City Council. This meant he helped make important choices for the city. Around the same time, he was also chosen to be a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. This is like being a member of parliament or a representative in a government.

Bringing Daylight Saving Time to Newfoundland

John Anderson became very interested in the idea of daylight saving time (DST). This is when clocks are moved forward in spring and back in autumn. It helps make better use of daylight hours. He learned about it from a man named William Willett who was promoting it in England.

Anderson worked hard to make daylight saving time a law in Newfoundland. Because of his efforts, the law was passed in 1917. People even started calling it Anderson's Time because he was so important to it. Newfoundland was the very first place in North America to start using daylight saving time.

His Family

John Anderson had two sons who became well-known. One son was John Murray Anderson, who became a producer for theater and a writer for movies. His other son was Captain Hugh Abercrombie Anderson. He was a playwright, meaning he wrote plays, and he wrote a musical called Auld Lang Syne. He was also a member of the Order of the British Empire, which is a special honor.

See also

• List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador