Andersen was educated at
Napier Boys' High School and
Auckland University College. He was then appointed as a cadet in the
British Solomon Islands Protectorate. He served as Lieutenant in command with the Royal Navy during World War II (1940–1946). In 1947, he joined the Colonial Service for the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands as an Administrative Officer Cadet, where he remained until been appointed in 1962 as
Resident Commissioner. ==References==