Charles “Doc” Anderson

State Representative District 56
McLennan County

A graduate of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine, Doc Anderson has served as a small animal veterinarian in Waco since 1981. After over 20 years of advocacy work for small business through statewide committees on both the Texas Association of Business and the National Federation of Independent Business, as well as appointment by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Small Business Advisory Council, Anderson was elected to represent District 56 (Waco & McLennan County) in 2004. He has been re-elected eight times.

Rep. Anderson currently serves as chairman of the Texas Legislative Rural Caucus, vice-chairman for the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, and serves on the County Affairs Committee. In addition, he has served on the House Committee on Elections, Energy Resources, House Administration, Economic & Small Business Development, and the House Select Interim Committee on Energy & Environment. Additionally, he holds appointments to the statewide Agricultural Policy Council, the multinational Energy Council, and agricultural, energy, and environmental task forces in both the National Conference on State Legislatures (NCSL) and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Representative Anderson is a board member of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI), and serves on the international organization State Agricultural and Rural Leaders (SARL). He proudly served on President Trump's Agricultural Advisory Committee.

Legislative highlights include major legislation concerning rural broadband initiatives, theft of service, school bus safety belts, punishment for child predators (Jessica's Law), legislation banning the hallucinogen salvia divinorum, and a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2011 to extend property tax exemptions to the surviving spouse of veterans who had already gained such exemption due to their 100%, service-connected disability.

For his efforts to preserve and enhance key local and state institutions, such as the Waco Center for Youth, Texas State Technical College, and rural transportation networks throughout Texas, Rep. Anderson has been honored in 2013 by the Cenikor Foundation, the Association for Community Transit, and named the Texas Auctioneers Association Legislator of the Year. He is also consistently ranked in the top tier of those dedicated to reviewing "pocketbook" issues for Texas taxpayers, including Texas Conservative Coalition, the Texas Association of Business, and Young Conservatives of Texas. He was also recognized as the outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in 2014, is a proud recipient of the Silver Eagle Award from the Boy Scouts of America and is a Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian. Representative Anderson married Lyn Sullivan in 2017.