Simeon H. Anderson

Simeon H. Anderson (March 2, 1802 – August 11, 1840) was an American politician and slave owner who served as a United States Representative from Kentucky from 1839 until his death in 1840. A member of the Whig Party, he represented a central Kentucky constituency during a period of significant political realignment in the United States, participating in the legislative process and the broader democratic life of the antebellum era.

Anderson was born on March 2, 1802, near Lancaster, in Garrard County, Kentucky. Raised in the Bluegrass region, he pursued preparatory studies locally, reflecting the educational opportunities available to young men of his social standing in early nineteenth-century Kentucky. His early life in a predominantly agrarian and slaveholding society shaped the context in which he would later practice law and enter public service.

After completing his preliminary education, Anderson studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He commenced the practice of law in Lancaster, Kentucky, where he established himself as an attorney. His legal career developed alongside the growth of Lancaster as a local center of commerce and politics, and his work at the bar provided the professional foundation for his subsequent roles in state and national government.

Anderson entered public life as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, where he served multiple, nonconsecutive terms. He represented his constituents in the state legislature in 1828, 1829, 1832, and again from 1836 to 1838. During these years he participated in debates over state policy in a period marked by questions of internal improvements, banking, and the evolving party system, aligning himself with the emerging Whig movement in Kentucky.

In national politics, Anderson was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 4, 1839, representing Kentucky as part of the Whig opposition to the Democratic administration. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, as issues such as the national bank, federal economic policy, and the balance of power between the states and the federal government were vigorously contested. As a Whig member from a slaveholding state, he represented the interests of his Kentucky constituents while contributing to the legislative process during his single term in office.

Anderson’s congressional career was cut short by his death in office. He died on August 11, 1840, near Lancaster, Kentucky, while still serving in the Twenty-sixth Congress. He was interred in the Anderson family cemetery near his home. In recognition of his status as a member of Congress who died in office, a cenotaph was erected in his honor at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., placing him among the early national legislators memorialized there.

In his personal and family life, Anderson was part of a political lineage that extended beyond his own career. He was the father of William Clayton Anderson, who later also served as a Representative from Kentucky, continuing the family’s involvement in national politics. He was also the father of Margaret Anderson Watts, who became known as a social reformer, reflecting the family’s engagement with public affairs in both political and social spheres.