Anderson was born on October 24, 1954, and grew up in
Mankato, Minnesota. He is a 1976 graduate of
Gustavus Adolphus College, receiving a
Bachelor of Arts,
magna cum laude, and a 1979 graduate of the
University of Minnesota Law School, receiving a
Juris Doctor. Anderson was a general-practice lawyer in
Fairmont and then in
Hutchinson, where he served as city attorney for over a decade. He is certified as a civil trial specialist by the
Minnesota State Bar Association and is an experienced trial lawyer, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases. ==Career==