John Byers Anderson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Byers Anderson
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| Born | November 22, 1817 Washington County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 25, 1897 (aged 79) Manhattan, Kansas |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–64 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Byers Anderson (born November 22, 1817 – died July 7, 1897) was an important American figure. He was a teacher, a builder of railroads, and an officer in the United States Army. During the American Civil War, he served as a colonel. He was in charge of Union railroads in several key areas. These included the Department of the Ohio, the Department of the Tennessee, and the Department of the Cumberland.
Contents
Early Life and Teaching Career
John Byers Anderson was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania. His birthday was November 22, 1817. He went to Washington and Jefferson College and finished his studies in 1836. After college, Anderson moved to Kentucky to become a teacher.
In 1842, he and his wife started two private schools in New Albany, Indiana. One school was for boys, and the other was for girls. They ran these schools until 1858. Some famous people studied at his boys' school. These included Charles Woodruff Shields and Narcissa Chisholm Owen.
Building Railroads
In the 1850s, Anderson started to focus on railroads. In 1851, he managed the building of a road in Indiana. The next year, he became the chief engineer for a planned railroad. This railroad would go from the Ohio River to Sandusky, Ohio.
For three years, until 1858, he was the General Superintendent of the New Albany and Salem Railroad. Even with all this railroad work, Anderson kept running his schools for a while. As his railroad duties grew, he slowly stopped teaching. After 1858, he worked only on railroads.
Leading Major Railroads
In November 1858, Anderson became a Superintendent for the Pennsylvania Railroad. This was a very important railroad. In February 1859, he moved up to a higher role. He became the General Superintendent of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway.
Less than a year later, he was asked to lead transportation for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He was in this job when the American Civil War began.
Civil War Service
During the Civil War, John Anderson helped the Union Army. He was in charge of many railroads. At first, he was a civilian, meaning he was not a soldier. Later, he became a colonel in the army.
In November 1861, General William Tecumseh Sherman made him the Railroad Director for the Department of the Ohio. In February 1862, Daniel McCallum took over this role. This happened after the United States Military Railroad was created.
Later, in November 1862, General William Rosecrans put Anderson in charge of military railroads. This was for the Department of the Cumberland. McCallum took over from him again in 1864.
Life After the War
In 1864, Anderson left the army. He became interested in the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern Division. This railroad was being planned to go through Kansas. He did not directly build the railroad. However, he did invest his money in it.
In 1868, he and his wife moved to Junction City, Kansas. His nephew, John Alexander Anderson, was a preacher there. In 1873, his nephew became the president of Kansas State Agricultural College. This college was in Manhattan, Kansas. In 1880, John Byers Anderson also moved to Manhattan. He lived there for the rest of his life. While in Manhattan, he was the president of the First National Bank of Manhattan.
In the 1880s, Anderson also led the board of trustees for the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas. In 1888, he celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. To mark this special day, he gave his large book collection to the college. This started the Anderson Memorial Library there.
John Byers Anderson passed away in Manhattan on July 25, 1897. After his death, his large home in Manhattan was bought in 1908. It became the first Catholic school in the town. In 1901, Andrew Carnegie gave $30,000 to the College of Emporia. He did this to honor Colonel Anderson. Years before, Anderson had let Carnegie use his library in Pennsylvania. This inspired Carnegie to love learning and improve himself throughout his life.
