Former Tenn. congressman, Nautilus captain dies

LEESBURG, Va. -- William Robert Anderson, a former U.S. congressman and captain of the Nautilus on its historic under-the-ice trips to the North Pole, died Feb. 25. He was 85.

Anderson died in Leesburg, Va., following a brief illness, his family said.

The Bakerville, Tenn., native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1942 and took command of the Nautilus in 1957, when the submarine cruised to within 180 miles of the North Pole. The next year Anderson and his crew of 115 made the first voyage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean by passing under the ice of the North Pole.

After retiring from the Navy, Anderson served as a consultant to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, helping to create the Peace Corps. In 1964, he was elected to his first of four terms representing the sixth district of Tennessee in Congress.

Anderson also was a businessman. In 1973, he became chairman of the board of directors of Digital Management Corp. He also served as director for Atlantic Union before founding data management firm Public Management Corp. with his wife.