Alexander Pierce Anderson (November 23, 1862 – May 7, 1943) was an American plant physiologist, botanist, educator and inventor. His scientific experiments led to the discovery of process to make "puffed rice" in USA, introducing a new breakfast cereal in the USA, that was later advertised as "Food Shot From Guns".[1]
Biography
Early life and education
Anderson was born in Featherstone Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota. His parents John Anderson and Britta Maria (Gustafsdotter) Anderson were Swedish-American immigrants. He grew up in Spring Creek Valley, ten miles from Red Wing, Minnesota. He seemed destined to follow his father into farming but changed course at twenty-seven, entering the University of Minnesota in 1890 to study agriculture. As a college senior in 1894, Anderson invented a "self-registering balance" that was bought by Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. Encouraged by his instructors, Anderson earned a master's degree in plant physiology in 1897. He then traveled to Munich, Germany, in June 1895 to study with leading botanists, earning a doctorate at the University of Munich in plant physiology. A loan from his cousin, future Minnesota Governor John Lind helped fund the trip.
Puffed rice
After completing his studies, Anderson accepted a position at Clemson Agricultural College and taught in South Carolina from 1896 to 1899. In 1901 he became the curator of the Herbarium at Columbia University, which allowed him to do research at the New York Botanical Garden. He believed that a tiny speck of free water would be found in the nucleus of a starch crystal. To prove this, he tried an experiment in December 1901. He heated starch granules that were sealed in a glass tube until they showed signs of browning.
Anderson Center at Tower View
The former Tower View Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1977. The property is now the location of the Anderson Center, site of a 700 residency program for artists, writers, and scholars. The A. P. Anderson award is presented annually by the Anderson Center to recognize significant contributions to the cultural and artistic life of Minnesota.[8][9][10]
Other sources
- Anderson autobiography, "Food Shot from Guns", 2-4, prepared for Quaker Oats Co., in "Testimony of Dr. Alexander P. Anderson in Jersey Cereal Co. v. Quaker Oats Co.," Oct. 30, 1937, found in Alexander P. Anderson Papers, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
- Johnson, Frederick L. "Interview Notes," Lydia Hedin and Jean Chesley, July 21, 2001.
Related reading
- Angell, Madeline (1977) Red Wing, Minnesota: Saga of a River Town (Minneapolis, MN: Dillon Press)
- Marton, Renee (2014) Rice: A Global History (Reaktion Books) ISBN 9781780234120
- Dupont, Mary (2019) "Mrs. Ambassador: The Life and Politics of Eugenie Anderson" (St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press). ISBN 9781681341279
External links
References
- Dr. Alexander P. Anderson - 1982 Inductee Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, retrieved January 15, 2016^
- Anderson, A. P. (Alexander Pierce) Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, retrieved January 15, 2016^
- Thorsell, Elisabeth (2009) Alexander Pierce Anderson -- The Swede who invented puffed rice (Swedish American Genealogist; Dec 2009, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p20) Retrieved January 15, 2016^