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Cal Anderson

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This article is about the politician. For the American football offensive lineman, see Calvin Anderson.

Cal Anderson
1965 high school yearbook photo
Member of the Washington Senate
from the 43rd district
In office
January 9, 1995[1] – August 4, 1995
Preceded byJanice Niemi
Succeeded byPat Thibaudeau
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 1st Position of the 43rd[1] district
In office
November 9, 1987[2] – January 9, 1995
Preceded byJanice Niemi
Succeeded byPat Thibaudeau
Personal details
Born
Calvin Bruce Anderson

(1948-05-02)May 2, 1948
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedAugust 4, 1995(1995-08-04) (aged 47)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Domestic partnerEric Ishino
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Unit23rd Infantry Division
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsBronze Stars (2)

Calvin Bruce Anderson (May 2, 1948 – August 4, 1995) was an American military officer and politician who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 43rd district in 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995, and was the first openly gay member of the Washington State Legislature.

Anderson was born in Seattle, Washington, and educated at Foster High School. He became involved in politics at a young age working for his father's city council campaign and Warren Magnuson's Senate campaign. Following high school he joined the United States Army and worked as a court reporter for the 23rd Infantry Division. He came out as gay to his parents during his time in the military.

He worked for multiple Seattle city officials and held positions in the Young Democrats and Washington State Democratic Party. In 1987, he was selected to fill Representative Janice Niemi's vacant seat in the state house and during his tenure he faced homophobic attacks from a member of the state legislature and in the Democratic primary. Anderson briefly served in the state senate, where he was Assistant Majority Whip, until his death from AIDS in 1995. His memorial was attended by thousands and a park in Seattle was later named after him.

Early life and education

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Calvin Bruce Anderson was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 2, 1948, to Robert and Alice Anderson. He volunteered for Warren Magnuson's campaign for a seat in the United States Senate while in middle school. He worked for his father's successful campaign for a seat on the Tukwila, Washington, city council which he won by four votes. Anderson graduated from Foster High School in 1966.[1][3]

Career

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Army

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Anderson served in the United States Army and worked as a court reporter for the 23rd Infantry Division. During his time in the military he received two Bronze Stars for working as the lead court reporter during the Mỹ Lai massacre investigation. During the trial of Ernest Medina he served as a senior court reporter. He served in the Army until 1973. He came out to his parents as homosexual during his time in the military before his father's death in 1971, and his mother stated that "It doesn't bother me; I don't even think about it. I just can't see why people can't live and let live".[1] Anderson stated that he was once caught "in the act" but was only given a short reprimand, with the commander stating "Now, I don't care what people do in their own time, but the Army doesn't feel that way, so in the future, be more discreet".[4]

Politics

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Anderson started working for Jeanette Williams, the chair of the King County Democratic Party after graduating from high school.[1] In 1968, he was appointed to serve as secretary of the South King County Young Democrats.[5][6] Anderson worked for George Benson, a member of the Seattle city council, from 1975 to 1983, as an administrative assistant. He became an appointments secretary for Mayor Charles Royer in 1983, and worked for him until 1987.[1] During the 1980s he was a member of the Washington State Democratic Party's central committee and was the secretary of the committee.[7]

Washington legislature

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Elections

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Jim McDermott left the Washington State Senate in 1987, to work in the United States Foreign Service. McDermott's vacancy in the state senate was filled by Representative Janice Niemi, a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 43rd district. Anderson won the most votes, fifty-one out of one hundred sixteen, at the precinct representatives meeting to recommend a person to fill Niemi's vacant seat.[1] He was one of the three nominees, alongside Harvey Muggy and Gene Peterson, considered to replace Niemi.[8] He was selected to fill the vacancy, becoming the first openly gay member of the Washington State Legislature.[9][10]

During the 1988 election Anderson faced a primary challenge from Debra Wilson Mobley, who was the Seattle city council clerk. He stated that a campaign ad by Mobley that asked "Which one of these candidates for state representative in Position 1 in the 43rd District could I honestly look my kids in the eye and say, 'this is a good role model to follow'?" were "homophobic and gay-bashing". He defeated Mobley in the primary and defeated Republican nominee Lee Carter in the general election.[1] Ed Murray, who later served in the state legislature and as Mayor of Seattle, was Anderson's campaign manager during the 1988 election.[11]

Anderson defeated Mobley and Gary A. Jacobs in the 1990 Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee James Alonzo in the general election. He defeated Republican nominee Mike Meenen in the 1992 election. Anderson ran for a seat in the state senate after Niemi chose to not seek reelection in 1994; he won the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican nominee Meenen in the general election.[1][12][13]

Tenure

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Anderson replaced Representative Mike Todd as chair of the State Government committee after Todd unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the state senate.[14] Anderson was appointed to serve as vice-chair of the Ecology and Parks, and the Law and Justice committees in the state senate. He also served as the Assistant Majority Whip.[15]

Senator A. L. Rasmussen, who was an opponent of gay rights, stated that Anderson was at fault for death threats against him as he "bragged" about being gay.[16] Anderson served as the keynote speaker of the third March for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride parade in 1994.[17]

Death and legacy

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Anderson was mostly absent from the state senate due to having non-Hodgkin lymphoma. As the Democratic Party only held a one-seat majority, they were reduced to a tie which allowed the Republicans to take over multiple times with parliamentary rules. Chemotherapy eradicated Anderson's non-Hodgkin lymphoma in April 1995. He served as the grand marshal of the 21st gay pride parade in Seattle, but blood clots in his legs and lungs prevented him attending the parade in June.[9][18][19][20]

Anderson died from AIDS on August 4, 1995, at his home in Seattle.[9] He was discovered by his partner Eric Ishino who later discovered a large file of death threats made against Anderson.[20][21] Around 2,000 people attended a memorial for Anderson at St. James Cathedral.[22][23] Pat Thibaudeau was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Anderson's death and filled the remainder of his term which lasted until December 31, 1998.[22][24] On April 19, 2003, Seattle named Cal Anderson Park after Anderson and the park was opened on September 24, 2005.[1][25]

Political positions

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Capital punishment

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Anderson proposed legislation in the state house that would prohibit the execution of intellectually disabled people which were defined as people with an IQ equal to or below seventy.[26] In 1995, the state senate voted forty-five to three, with Anderson voting against, in favor of legislation which would make the primary method of execution in Washington lethal injection instead of hanging.[27]

Euthanasia

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Anderson proposed legislation to allow the prescription of lethal drugs by doctors to patients who were terminally ill.[28] Following Anderson's death the legislation was brought back by Senator Kevin Quigley.[29]

Elections

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Anderson sponsored legislation in the state house which would automatically register somebody to vote whenever they applied for or renewed their driver license.[30] Anderson sponsored legislation in 1991, which would have Washington use a preference primary for president starting in 1992.[31] In 1991, he joined a lawsuit asking for the Washington Supreme Court to declare a ballot proposition, which proposed term limits for the governor, members of the United States Congress, and members of the state legislature, unconstitutional.[32]

Gay rights

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During Anderson's tenure in the state legislature he introduced gay rights legislation eighteen times until his death in 1995.[33] He sponsored legislation in the state house which would allow gay people to file complaints of housing, hiring, or insurance discrimination to the Washington Human Rights Commission.[34] He sponsored legislation in the state house which would require the collection by police of reports of hate crimes against peopled based on their race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.[35] Anderson stated that a ballot proposition threatened academic freedom after it was amended to prohibit public colleges from "teaching or promoting homosexuality as a healthy lifestyle".[36]

Electoral history

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1988 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 8,975 52.96%
Democratic Debra Wilson Mobley 4,837 28.54%
Republican Lee Carter 3,134 18.49%
Total votes 16,946 100.00%
1988 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district election[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 27,084 77.25%
Republican Lee Carter 7,976 22.75%
Total votes 35,060 100.00%
1990 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 5,944 63.60%
Democratic Debra Wilson Mobley 1,918 20.52%
Republican James Alonzo 1,125 12.04%
Democratic Gary A. Jacobs 359 3.84%
Total votes 9,346 100.00%
1990 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district election[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 17,632 84.30%
Republican James Alonzo 3,285 15.70%
Total votes 20,917 100.00%
1992 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 19,717 79.97%
Republican Mike Meenen 4,938 20.03%
Total votes 24,655 100.00%
1992 Washington House of Representatives Position 1 of the 43rd district primary[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson (incumbent) 45,064 81.61%
Republican Mike Meenen 10,155 18.39%
Total votes 55,219 100.00%
1994 Washington Senate 43rd district primary[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson 12,531 76.86%
Republican Mike Meenen 3,773 23.14%
Total votes 16,304 100.00%
1994 Washington Senate 43rd district election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Cal Anderson 29,722 79.72%
Republican Mike Meenen 7,561 20.28%
Total votes 37,283 100.00%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Anderson, Cal (1948-1995)". HistoryLink. December 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Hendrickson, Brad; Dean, Bernard C. (February 2019). "Members of the Legislature" (PDF). State of Washington.
  3. ^ "Cal Anderson, Washington, 1988". OutHistory. March 13, 2003. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Odd Place of Homosexuality in the Military". The New York Times. April 18, 1993. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  5. ^ "Doves Walk Out At Young Demo Conclave". The Daily News. February 12, 1968. p. 21. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Dissidents Favor New Resolutions". The Spokesman-Review. February 12, 1968. p. 7. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Washington's Demos re-elect 'winning team'". The Spokesman-Review. January 27, 1985. p. 24. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gay man gains in bid for House seat". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 28, 1987. p. 25. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Cal Anderson, 47, Gay State Legislator". The New York Times. August 6, 1995. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021.
  10. ^ "Royer aide named to state House post". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 10, 1987. p. 6. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "The Education of Ed Murray". Seattle Metropolitan. December 19, 2012. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Cal Anderson election results in the state house". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Cal Anderson election results in the state senate". Secretary of State of Washington. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "House Democrats give energy post to Walla Walla's Grant". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 30, 1990. p. 24. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Democrats add new faces to Senate leadership". Centralia Chronicle. December 10, 1994. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  16. ^ "Lawmakers clash on gay rights". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 27, 1992. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Gay pride march, rally scheduled for downtown". The Spokesman-Review. June 11, 1994. p. 18. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "The thinnest majority". The Spokesman-Review. April 15, 1995. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Thousands take part in Seattle gay-pride march". The Daily News. June 26, 1995. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "State's first openly gay senator dies of AIDS". The Daily News. August 5, 1995. p. 14. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Cal Anderson portrait unveiled at park bearing his name". The Seattle Times. March 24, 2012. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Special filing period set to fill Anderson's Senate seat". The Daily News. August 8, 1995. p. 24. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "'Cal's pals' bid farewell to state's first gay lawmaker". The Daily News. August 8, 1995. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Centralia lawmaker won't run for re-election in 1996". The Daily News. December 8, 1995. p. 25. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Cal Anderson becomes Washington's first openly gay legislator on November 9, 1987". HistoryLink. March 13, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "Proposal would ban executions of the retarded". Spokane Daily Chronicle. January 11, 1991. p. 20. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Bill favors lethal injection over hanging". The Spokesman-Review. March 14, 1995. p. 18. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Senator introduces suicide bill". The Spokesman-Review. January 27, 1995. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Lawmaker revives assisted-suicide issue". The Spokesman-Review. January 26, 1996. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Motor voter registration". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 16, 1989. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "State to join Oregon for primary". The Spokesman-Review. May 10, 1991. p. 3. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "High court to consider term-limit lawsuit". The Daily News. August 20, 1991. p. 17. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Gays: More efforts predicted". The Spokesman-Review. November 15, 1995. p. 20. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Local legislators in surprise moves". The Spokesman-Review. February 18, 1990. p. 48. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Hate Crimes". Spokane Daily Chronicle. February 20, 1990. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Measure amended to ban gay teachings at colleges". The Daily News. January 27, 1994. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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