Anderson, John S.

Submitted by Mike Miller

JOHN S. ANDERSON. The Consumer's Seltzer & Mineral Water Manufacturing company, limited, at 132 and 134 North Rampart street, with a capital stock of $20.000, is one of the most important and extensive business interests of the city of New Orleans. With John S. Anderson, president, and James Davis, secretary and treasurer, the affairs of the company are well and profitably managed. The business was established June 24, 1891. when the company purchased the plant at 350 Bienville street, where they continued to operate until their removal to their present quarters, where they are more centrally located and are provided with better quarters and accommodations. They have a large and profitable business, extending over a radius of 108 miles from New Orleans, but their most valuable trade is local ,and with steamboats. Although the company on starting had much to contend with, it has secured through the efficient management of its officers a large, permanent trade, and recently declared a ten per cent. dividend. They have the most modern and improved machinery, the Matthews Automatic Continuous Apparatus, which is the best in the market for the manufacture of mineral and seltzer water. Their machine is the only one of the kind in New Orleans, and was the first sent to the South. They employ eight delivery wagons and two telephone wagons, and their trade is constantly expanding. John S. Anderson, the able president, was born in Sweden in 1849. He grew up and was educated in his native land and in 1869 crossed the ocean, having previously learned the businesses of leather finishing and of carriage painting. Upon his arrival in the United States he went to Chicago and worked at his trades of painting carriages and finishing leather, but after a while began traveling and visited many portions of the country, locating finally at Memphis, where he engaged in the stave business. In 1881 he went to New Orleans and was there engaged in various business enterprises prior to his connection with the present company, which was founded by his enterprise and intelligence. He is now one of the substantial business men of the city. He is a member of the Young Men's Gymnastic club, of the Knights of Pythias and of the Order of Pente. The secretary of the company, James Davis, was born in New Orleans in 1867 and is the son of William Davis, a native of Ireland, who came to the United States previous to the great Civil war, and became a resident of Maryland. When the war broke out he enlisted in the Third Maryland cavalry and was made quartermaster of the regiment. After the war he came to New Orleans and secured a position as salesman with Langle's cracker concern, and was thus engaged at the time of his death, in 1868. His wife was formerly Miss Anna Fitzgerald, a native of Ireland, who is yet living, a resident of this city. Their son James was but eight months old when his father died. He grew up here and was educated in the city schools, succeeding which he secured employment with the New Orleans Worsted store as collector, but later became messenger boy for the cotton presses, continuing thus three years, when he was engaged as a clerk and collector for J. J. Hooper, whom he served faithfully for seven years, and finally when the above company was founded he became its secretary and treasurer. As such he has shown special fitness for his position, and has performed his duties with skill and ability. Physically he is an all-round athlete, and has been a base ball player since he was old enough to throw and bat a ball. It was mainly through his influence and efforts that in 1890 the Amateur Athletic Club league of this city was formed, of which organization he was made secretary. He is a member of the Young Men's Gymnastic club.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 468-469. Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.