A photograph of Thomas J. Anderson, who came to Kansas in 1857 with his family and settled in Valley Falls. The next year he was elected Jackson County surveyor on the Free-State ticket. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted as a private in Company A, Fifth Kansas Cavalry. He resigned in the spring of 1865 to accept the appointment of Kansas Adjutant General. At that point in time, he had attained the rank of Colonel. Anderson later resigned this position and became agent for Kansas Pacific Railroad. On March 1, 1873, Anderson became general freight and passenger agent for the Kansas Midland Railroad, which was absorbed into the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1875. In May 1881, Anderson became Topeka Postmaster for four years, and during this time he served as Topeka Mayor for two years. He was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1879 to 1883 and the State Senate from 1899 to 1900. In 1883 Anderson was Departmental Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. He died at his home in Topeka on January 31, 1912.