Here’s a little Jackson, Tennessee history for ya. Have you ever heard of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center? It’s the largest cancer center in the US located in Houston, Texas. There’s a connection between these two places that some may not know about.
Monroe Dunaway Anderson was born in Jackson, Tennessee on what was called “McNairy Hill”, in the house you see here, in 1873. Anderson became a successful businessman, banker, and philanthropist. He began his career at People Savings Bank, served as an officer and director of the First National Bank of Jackson and later moved to Texas and became Treasurer, President and Chief Financial Officer for Anderson, Clayton & Co., which eventually became the largest cotton trading company in the world.
He created the MD Anderson charitable foundation with about $300,000. It would go on to receive $19,000,000 from his estate when he died in 1939. This was the largest charitable fund ever given in the state of Texas. The funding was allocated towards building the cancer center that we know today and was named for him.
Anderson is buried in Jackson at Riverside Cemetery.
