He was born in
Providence, Rhode Island, on 13 January 1860 to Lewis Williams Anthony and Britannia Franklin Waterman. He was a descendant of Rhode Island founder,
Roger Williams. Anthony graduated from
Brown University in 1883 and
Cobb Divinity School in 1885, which was then affiliated with
Bates College. Anthony also received an A.M. degree from Brown in 1886. In 1887, he was appointed to a professorship at
Cobb Divinity School and went on to publish various books and articles. When the Divinity School merged with the college religion department, he became a religion professor at
Bates College serving from 1908 to 1911. He retired from Bates in 1918 to New York City. He donated land in Lewiston near Bates College to the Stanton Bird Club to create
Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary. Anthony was also active in various
Freewill Baptist institutions and served as President of the Board of Trustees of
Storer College in West Virginia. He was also Chairman of the Committee on Goodwill between
Jews and
Christians. He travelled to Africa and Asia as Secretary for the Free Will Baptist Home Missions Council. Anthony also as a Trustee for Bates College,
Hillsdale College, and
Brown University. File:Cobb Divinity School faculty photo.jpg|Cobb Divinity School faculty, ca. 1895 with Anthony in the lower left File:Cobb Divinity School; Roger Williams Hall.jpg|Cobb Divinity School building once funded by Deacon L.W. Anthony (Alfred Anthony's father) File:Anthony Hall, the administration building of the former Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia LCCN2015631390.tif|Anthony Hall on the
Storer College campus in Harpers Ferry ==Books and honors==