Former Rep. John Anderson dies at 95

Former Rep. John Anderson, pictured at a gathering at San Francisco’s Press Club on October 17, 1980, died Sunday at age 95. File Photo by Charlie Blagdon/UPI

Dec. 5 (UPI) — Former U.S. Rep. John Anderson of Illinois, who ran for president as an independent in 1980, has died, his family announced Monday. He was 95.

The circumstances of his death were not reported.

Anderson, who was born in 1922 and raised in Rockford, Ill., was elected to Congress in 1960. He served from 1961-81 and served as the chairman of the House Republican Conference.

He largely voted along with the Republican Party until 1968, when he supported the Fair Housing Act prohibiting racial discrimination in housing. He convinced some fellow Republicans to support the act, which passed.

In 1980, Anderson ran for president, coming in third behind Republican Ronald Reagan and then-President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat.

Anderson, who served in the Army during World War II and worked as a lawyer prior to his political career, returned to law after finishing his stint in Congress.

He is survived by his wife, five children and 11 grandchildren.

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