Frank B. Anderson

Best known today for Morals in Trade and Commerce, he was president of the Bank of California and a prominent figure in the financial life of the Pacific Coast. The book grew out of a lecture he delivered at the University of California, Berkeley, on February 15, 1911, where he spoke to students about the place of moral judgment in business.

Contemporary records identify him as Frank Barstow Anderson, born in Macon, Georgia, in 1863. By the early 20th century he was closely associated with California banking and corporate affairs, and later notices described him as a leading figure in western finance for more than thirty years.

What makes his work still interesting is its tone: instead of treating commerce as separate from character, he argued that trade and public life depend on the ideals people bring to them. That gives his writing a practical, human focus that still feels surprisingly direct.