Sir John Anderson was born on January 23, 1858, in Gartly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

He was a Scottish colonial administrator. He graduated from Aberdeen University (M.A.) and entered the Colonial Office as a second-class clerk. In 1887, he was Bacon Scholar of Gray's Inn and the following year, he was the Inns of Court student. Anderson was appointed as the private secretary to Sir Robert Meade, Permanent Under-Secretary of the State for the Colonies, and in 1892, he served as the British Agent for Bering Sea Arbitration. From 1883 to 1897, he edited the Colonial Office List and was appointed as the principal clerk. In 1899, he was dispatched to Gibraltar, and the same year, he returned to London, where he remained until 1901. In 1902, he acted as the secretary to the Colonial Conference. In 1903, he received thanks from the Canadian Government and the Confederation medal for services rendered in connection with the Alaska Boundary question and other matters. In 1904, Anderson was appointed Governor of Straits Settlements, where he served till 1911. In 1916, he became Governor of British Ceylon. In Ceylon, he played an important role in settling many problems and riots that started in 1915 and were suppressed harshly by the British. He was appointed as a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1898 and a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in 1901. In 1906, he was awarded an LL.D. from his former alma mater.

He suddenly fell ill and died on March 24, 1918, in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).