The papers of William K. Anderson consist primarily of materials relating to his life-long interest in boating, navigation, and other marine activities. Most heavily documented are those files detailing his involvement with various powerboat groups, the United States Power Squadrons and the Detroit Power Squadron being the most prominent. The collection has been divided into six series: United States Power Squadrons, Boating Organizations, Writings, World War II Activities, Miscellaneous and Personal, and Photographs.
William K. Anderson was born in 1896 in Thompsonville, Benzie County, Michigan. Following his graduation from Sparta High School in 1915, he entered the University of Michigan to study marine engineering. Soon after war was declared in 1917, Anderson joined up with the Michigan Naval Militia which had been organized at the University of Michigan in 1916. During the war, Anderson served as Quartermaster 1st class and CQM-Acting, and saw duty on gunboats, subchasers, destroyers, and transports. For some of this time, he was stationed at Queenstown, Ireland.
After the war, Anderson continued his engineering education at the Amour Institute of Technology in Chicago (1922-1923) and then at Cleveland College (1925-1926). For a time thereafter, he worked with Western Electric Company and then as an independent machine design engineer at Motor Testing Equipment,Inc. From 1932 and for the rest of his life, Anderson was a self-employed design engineer. One of his firms engaged in designing and supervising the building of test equipment for automobile factories and service stations. Through another company, he distributed, installed, and serviced radio telephones and direction finders for vessels on the Great Lakes.
Although a man of many interests, Anderson's devoted his lifework to his love of boating and the appropriate regulation of the waters of the Great Lakes. In 1936, he reactivated the Detroit Power Squadron as a local unit of the United States Power Squadrons (USPS). The USPS had been established before the First World War by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt who saw the need for an organization to provide operational and training support for the Navy. Its objectives were to establish a high standard of skill in the handling and navigation of yachts, to encourage the study of navigation and small boat handling, and to otherwise provide activities which would strengthen the nation's military services. As head of the Detroit Power Squadron, Anderson worked to expand the principles of the USPS to the Great Lakes. From 1936 to 1938, in addition to his work with the Detroit unit, Anderson served as secretary of the USPS. In 1938 he was appointed rear commander of the organization, vice commander in 1939, and chief commander in 1941.
After the beginning of World War II, Anderson volunteered to join the U.S. Navy. He was appointed Lt. Commander and served at Norfolk Naval Air Station as ships service officer. He stayed in that position for two years before he was transferred to Tacoma, Washington as navigating officer for different aircraft carriers. Anderson was released from the Navy in 1944 and went back to Detroit, where he continued his active involvement in boating and boating education. In 1946 as executive secretary, he brought the headquarters of the American Power Boat Association to Detroit.
Anderson was also active in promoting legislation affecting the nation's waterways, in particular the waters of the Great Lakes. On the national scene, he argued for the establishment of marine highways and harbors of refuge. In Michigan, he was partially responsible for the establishment in 1947 of the Michigan Waterways Commission. After its creation, he fought long and hard to advance the proposition that taxes spent by the state's boatmen for gasoline fuel should be given over to the Waterways Commission for projects of benefit to them.
He also made many public speeches each year and was a prolific writer mainly on topics relating to boating, navigation history, and naval history. William K. Anderson died in 1967.
