Ole Anderson

Name: Ole Anderson
Alias: The Terrible Swede
Birth Name: Olaf Engvar Andersen
Hometown: Ruston, Washington, USA
Birthplace: Norway
Died: 1954-06-11 (Age:57)
Height: 188cm
Pro Boxer: Record

Ole Anderson was from Ruston, Washington. He drove a meat butcher's cart in Tacoma, then later worked at the local smelter, when he began boxing lessons at Paul Steele's Tacoma School of Boxing. Matchmaker and promoter George Shanklin gave him a preliminary and Anderson won. He continued to improve and became a local celebrity. [1]

Anderson joined the the United States Medical Corps during World War I. May 22, 1917 Tacoma Tribune Per the March 2, 1919 Tacoma Daily News, he had spent 20 months in the Army, and was stationed at Camp Dodge, Iowa. He was the heavyweight champion of the Middle Western Army cantonments (including Camp Dodge, Camp Grant and camp Funston. [2]). He worked with the camp's army instructors, the famous Mike Gibbons (and was Gibbons's sparring partner), and with Paul Steele. Confirmed by the Dec. 18, 1917 Tacoma Times [3].

Per the July 17, 1920 Tacoma News Tribune, he had come back to Tacoma with his new Minnesota bride. (According to the Jan. 12, 1921 TNT, she was the daughter of a prominent rancher of that state.) The May 7, 1921 TNT reported that a daughter was born May 2 to the couple: Charleen Edna (8+ pounds).

It is unknown whether he is, or was related to, an Olof Victor Anderson, who was born in Varmland, Sweden. And who passed away Nov. 15, 2003, aged 98, in Ballard, WA. See the Nov. 18, 2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, p. B5.

According to the Daily Oklahoma 1-9-1923, Ole was working as a cop in Minneapolis at the time.