Lee Anderson, former Chattanooga Free Press publisher, has died

“I know of no one who has left a more substantial impression on this city than Lee Anderson in his position as editor of the Free Press. He was a very solid Christian gentleman and provided guidance for so many people in the positions that he explained and the positions that he took as editor of the paper. He exemplified those attributes that most of us can only aspire to attain.”

Lee Stratton Anderson, the former publisher of the Chattanooga Free Press who died in Atlanta early Thursday morning at age 90, is remembered as a principled, consistent conservative who loved his family, his work, his community and country.

Widely known and respected as a patriot, Christian and civic leader, Anderson was one of the longest-serving newspapermen in the nation when he retired in 2012.

Walter E. Hussman Jr., publisher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press and chairman of Little Rock, Ark.-based WEHCO Media, called Anderson “a true gentlemen and a great newspaperman.”

Hussman bought the Free Press from the McDonald family in 1998, but he met Anderson years before that. They got to know each other at gatherings such as the Southern Newspapers Publishers Association’s annual convention.

“Everybody in the industry thought so highly of him,” Hussman said.

Hussman said he remembers Anderson’s dedication to his job, his community and his church, First Presbyterian, where his eponymous Sunday school class once drew 450 people. Hussman also remembers his energy. When Hussman bought the Free Press, Anderson was 72. “And he was driving a Corvette and playing tennis several times a week and working long hours at the paper,” Hussman said.

“I feel really lucky that I got to know him and work with him,” Hussman said. “It’s been one of the real pleasures of my career, working with Lee.”

Anderson began what became a legendary 70-year career at the Chattanooga Free Press at age 16. He wrote feature stories and worked every news beat – from police to business to courts – before covering the Tennessee legislature and politics at all levels of government, including five national presidential conventions.

He started writing editorials for the newspaper in 1948 and was named editor in April 1958. His role in the newsroom, however, extended beyond the editorial page. He directed news coverage for several decades through various department editors.

J.B. Collins, a former city government reporter who worked at the Free Press for nearly 60 years, knew Anderson well.

“He was a great friend – one of the finest men I ever knew,” he said. “It’s a sad time. It really is.”

Collins said he came to work for the paper in 1940, and Anderson started just three years later. The two shared a workspace for the latter half of the century.

“I came straight out of college and went to work for the paper; he came straight out of high school and went to the paper,” Collins said. “We were there together in the same office almost for about 55 years. I’ve known him for longer than almost any member of my family.”

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who also knew Anderson for decades, noted he “never knew a more principled or hardworking newspaper man than Lee Anderson.”

Alexander, who appointed him to the state Industrial, Agricultural Development Commission, noted Anderson was in his newspaper office at 400 E. 11th Street between 4:30 and 5 a.m. “pounding out conservative editorials,” he said in a statement.

Anderson “was unfailingly polite and professional. It was a privilege to know him and to read his tightly written opinions. He made an enormous contribution to Chattanooga and to Tennessee,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor, described Anderson as “an exceptional Tennessean and a Chattanooga icon.”

The former publisher’s “impact on our city through his many roles at the paper, his civic service and his passion for serving others cannot be overstated,” he said in a statement. “I am fortunate to have known him most of my adult life. My thoughts and prayers are with the Anderson family, his former colleagues at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and all those across our city and state who were touched by his life.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who was in Chattanooga Thursday to speak to the Rotary Club, told club members that after meeting the newspaper publisher, he decided Anderson was the kind of man he wanted to be “when I grew up.”

Anderson was “kind and polite, professional and informed,” the governor said.

Haslam shared an anecdote that summed up Anderson’s ability to disagree without being disagreeable. He recalled that when he visited the newsaper to ask for Anderson’s endorsement in his race against Chattanoogan and former U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, “he told me ‘no’ in the nicest possible way. I remember feeling pretty good about that.”

John Guerry, another one of Anderson’s friends who knew him for nearly his entire life, said he grew closer to the man through their mutual involvement with United Way, where Anderson was campaign chairman in 1979, and the Rotary Club, where he was a director and president in 1964-65.

“I guess we went into Rotary in the 1950s, and we’ve been there together. We’ve been in the United Way together, and we sometimes played tennis,” he said.

When asked who usually won their tennis matches, Guerry said with a laugh, “Oh, he’s better than I am.”

Anderson was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Corinne Anderson; and two brothers, William S. and Herbert Anderson Jr.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth (Betsy) McDonald Anderson; two daughters, Corinne Adams (Jeff) and Mary Stewart Anderson (J.B. Graf); a granddaughter, Dr. Claire Spears (Drew); a grandson, Sam Adams (Leigh); and a great-grandson, Samuel Anderson Adams Jr., all of Atlanta.

Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, with visitation one hour before the service at the church. Burial will precede the service at Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to World Missions Programs, First Presbyterian Church or to the Public School Bible Study Committee (P.O. Box 4228, Chattanooga, Tenn., 37405-0228).