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William Anderson was the second son of Isaac Anderson of Princeton, New Jersey, where he was born about the year 1771. He was educated at Princeton College, and studied medicine with the celebrated Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia, where he attended lectures and graduated in medicine. He took his residence in Schenectady where a large field of business opened before him, and where he enjoyed a high reputation for skill in surgery. He was emphatically a heroic practitioner and a heroic surgeon. It was a part of his character to be so; for as a man he was bold and dashing, with little care for anything, and very little anxiety for anybody. At one time he was a man of wealth; but disregarding money or its value, he exercised no prudence in the care of it, and made no provision for what he might need, except for time present. He often received large fees for his services, but never troubled his patients about paying him. He was in the sense of the world whole souled and generous to a fault, and sought to enjoy life as he went along in its swift current. On the 30th day of August, 1800, he married Elizabeth, a sister of Jacob G. Sanders, Esq., now of Albany. In the prospect of a more extensive field than Schenectady and its vicinity afforded he went to New Orleans with a view to establish his residence; but on a return passage to New York he was seized with yellow fever and died on the 30th day of August, 1811, and his body was committed to the ocean. Dr. Anderson left no children. At the time the Medical Society was organized, Schenectady was within the limits of Albany county, and thus Dr. Anderson was brought into relation with it at the time of its organization. It speaks for his enterprise and for that of his associates, that they came so far to attend its first meeting, for Schenectady was at that time nearly a day's travel from Albany. An older brother, Dr. James Anderson, also practiced in Schenectady; but he died suddenly at Cherry Hill near Albany, where he was buried in 1805. He was a well read, accomplished and attractive gentleman.
