Anderson in Anderson County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

1. G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse Marker

Inscription. Entered on the National Register
of Historic Places
December 13, 1971

Federal Building
U.S. Courthouse
Federal Postal Station
Anderson, South Carolina

Thomas Harlan Ellett
Architect 1938

This property significantly contributes to the Nation's cultural heritage.
Commemorated June 1976

Gerald R. Ford
President of the United States
Jack Eckerd
Administrator of General Services

Erected 1976.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1971.

Location. 34° 30.1′ N, 82° 38.867′ W. Marker is in Anderson, South Carolina, in Anderson County. Marker is at the intersection of South McDuffie Street and East Market Street, on the right when traveling north on South McDuffie Street. The marker is located on the west side of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 South McDuffie Street, Anderson SC 29624, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Living Tribute (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Bullein Johnson (about 400 feet away); After Dark: Seeking Harmony in Music and Culture (about

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400 feet away); More Than Food: Savoring the Flavor of Dignity (about 500 feet away); The First Baptist Church Bell (about 500 feet away); In Commemoration of Black Pioneers (about 500 feet away); Beyond Commerce: Building a Legacy of Hard Work (about 500 feet away); St. John's Methodist Church (about 500 feet away); The Church Street Heritage Plaza (about 500 feet away); Masonic Temple -- 1889 (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anderson.

Also see . . .
1. Anderson Historic District. Anderson came into being in 1826 with the formation of Anderson County, and as a courthouse seat, the community was quick to develop. (Submitted on September 20, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

2. G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse. US District Court, District of South Carolina site. (Submitted on September 20, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

Additional commentary.
1. Judge G. Ross Anderson to start taking it easier

G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and<br>United States Courthouse Cornerstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

2. G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and
United States Courthouse Cornerstone

Henry Morgenthau Jr.
Secretary of the Treasury
James A Farley
Postmaster General
Louis A Simon
Supervising Architect
Neal A Melick
Supervising Engineer
Thomas Harlan Ellett
Architect
1937

By Charmaine Smith-Miles
December 11, 2008

ANDERSON — Sitting at his big, dark-wood desk, U.S. Judge G. Ross Anderson let out a laugh when asked why he’s decided to cut back on his case load as of next year.

“Because I’ll be 80 years old,” Anderson said.

But does he planning on retiring from the bench altogether? Nope. Not if he’s got anything to do with it.

“I love my work,” he said.

President Jimmy Carter nominated Anderson to the federal post in 1980 after U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings recommended him to the post. The U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination on May 21, 1980. The new role gave the local attorney a whole new direction for his law career. At that time, he already had 26 years of trial experience under his belt.

In 2002, the federal courthouse on McDuffie Street in downtown Anderson was named the G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse.

Anderson, who was born in 1929, has been a formidable figure in the South Carolina judicial system. He has received the Order of the Palmetto, one of the highest civilian honors presented by the governor of South Carolina. Last week, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Carolina Association for Justice.

Now, Anderson said his health is prompting him to start scaling back on his cases.

G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and<br>United States Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, May 26, 2009

3. G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and
United States Courthouse

Last February, he suffered a stroke. He had nearly recovered, he said, when he fell on Sept. 28 and crushed his left arm.

And he’s left-handed.

While he was in rehabilitation, Anderson didn’t stop working though. He said his law clerks came each day and helped him keep up with his paperwork. And four other federal judges helped in hearing some of the cases on his docket.

Anderson said he plans to cut back to 25 percent of his caseload on Jan. 29 — his 80th birthday.

“I will probably voluntarily take more, if I feel like it,” Anderson said. “But the option will be mine.”

To pick up the other 75 percent of his caseload, another U.S. judge will have to be appointed, Anderson said.

— Submitted June 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. Facts about Judge G. Ross Anderson, Jr.
• Sen. Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings recommended Anderson for his current position and President Jimmy Carter nominated Anderson in 1980

• Anderson, a native South Carolinian, has worked for years in a federal building in Anderson that bears his name

• He is among the nation’s most recognized and honored judges and is known for his firmness and fairness

• He recently received a lifetime achievement

Photographed By Wikipedia, 1938

4. G. Ross Anderson Jr. Federal Building and
United States Courthouse

award from the South Carolina Association for Justice, the state’s trial lawyers group. (Anderson is one of the association’s 12 original founders and served as president in 1971-72)

• Anderson is a 1954 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law

• Anderson has received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor

• He was a member of the South Carolina House from 1955 until 1956

• He had a private law practice in the city of Anderson from 1954 to 1980

• He was a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Olin Johnston of South Carolina from 1947 until 1951 and 1953 until 1954

• Anderson served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1952

— Submitted September 20, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

3. Thomas Harlan Ellett (1880-1951)
Graduating first in his class in architecture in 1906 from the University of Pennyslvania, Ellett won the Gold Brooke Medal, and continued his studies as a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. His impeccably conceived residences, married to handsomely designed gardens, put him in the forefront of a large and talented group of architects, whose creations epitomized the confident pre-depression society of the years immediately before and after World War I.

Honorable G. Ross Anderson Jr. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Brian Scott, 2007

5. Honorable G. Ross Anderson Jr.

It was, however, for his Cosmopolitan Club in New York City that he received his highest award, the Gold Medal of the Architectural League of New York, in 1933. In the later depression years of the 1930's, he built a series of post offices; the most distinguished as well as the largest was for the Bronx, New York. (Source: http://www.design.upenn.edu/archives/majorcollections/ellett.html.)

— Submitted June 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,572 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 4. submitted on September 20, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 5. submitted on June 13, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.