Necrology

Robert Eric Anderson '70

May. 31, 1948-Jul. 3, 2022

Robert Eric Anderson ’70 died in Hopatcong, N.J., on July 3, 2022. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on May 31, 1948, he grew up in Glen Rock, N.J., and came to Hamilton from Glen Rock High School. On the Hill, he majored in history, played softball and ran track, and, by the time he graduated, earned the Edgar Baldwin Graves Prize in History and the Putnam Prize in American History.

From Hamilton, Robert attended Columbia University’s Law School, completing his Juris Doctor degree in 1973. He worked for the law firm of Leon, Weil & Mahony in Manhattan, but for the greater part of his legal career he was a sole practitioner, handling cases in the areas of litigation, general corporate, securities, commercial, and real estate matters. He later developed a specialty in maritime law. His clients included professional athletes, among them several members of the minor league Spartanburg (S.C.) Spinners. Another client was Judith M. Bielenberg, for whom he provided legal assistance with a real estate closing. Their attorney-client relationship segued into something more, and they married on Sept. 3, 1988. They had a son and a daughter.

In the course of his life, Robert continued his formal education. He earned master’s degrees in psychology and dispute resolution from the University of Santa Monica and Pepperdine University, respectively, reflecting his legal interest in arbitration and mediation. He put his knowledge of psychology and conflict resolution, combined with his knowledge of investment law, to good use beginning in 2002, when he became an arbiter for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a government-authorized, not-for-profit organization that oversees U.S. securities brokers and dealers. After he had otherwise retired and he and Judith had moved from Allendale to Hopatcong, his arbitration work continued even through the pandemic, thanks to Zoom. Just two days before his death, he concluded what would be his final hearing.

A year after beginning his work with FINRA, Robert and Judith formed a leadership development, executive coaching, and conflict resolution systems design firm, LeadershipU.org. 

During the early years of their marriage, the Andersons lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but after they became parents, they moved to Allendale, only six miles from Robert’s hometown of Glen Rock. Robert maintained an office in New York City, but was engaged in the life of his local community. He was a substitute teacher in the North Highlands High School in Allendale and took an interest in the town’s trees, becoming a certified “street tree” specialist.

While his history classes at Hamilton were undoubtedly foundational to his study and practice of law, they also continued to guide his non-professional interests. He read voraciously in the field and, with his family, visited historical sites and traveled abroad. Robert also did what few people dare to do: solve the daily New York Times crossword puzzle in ink! 

Robert E. Anderson is survived by his wife and children.

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