Justice John Sharp Anderson

Justice John Sharp Anderson, a former judge on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of the State of Texas, died on Tuesday, the 22 of June 2021, in Houston. Born on the 2nd of August 1946, he was the only son of Helen Sharp Anderson and Thomas Dunaway Anderson. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Holly Teas Anderson, and their children John James Clayton Anderson, Alexis Dunaway Anderson and Bryan Sharp Anderson. He is also survived by two sisters, Helen Anderson Shaw and Lucille Anderson Streeter, plus many in-laws, cousins, and nieces, and one nephew.

John's early academic years were spent in Houston at River Oaks Elementary and the Kinkaid School, then in Lawrenceville, New Jersey at The Lawrenceville School, where he graduated in 1964. A man of tradition, his higher education and career were aligned with those of his father and also his maternal grandfather, Judge John H. Sharp of the Texas Supreme Court. John entered Washington & Lee University in 1964, where he was a member of The Kappa Sigma Fraternity, graduating with a B.A. in 1968. He then enrolled at the University of Texas School of Law, graduating in 1971. He enjoyed living in Austin during these years. While in law school, he was a member of the 71st Brigade (Airborne), Texas National Guard. He also was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1974.

Following law school, John moved to Washington D.C. to work as a trial attorney for the Federal Power Commission. This move prepared him well for a career in the growing energy sector in Houston, where he returned in 1974 to work as an attorney for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, then Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company, United Energy Company and Enron Corporation. He eventually left the energy business in 1989 to join Anderson, Brown and Jones, where he practiced law with his father, representing both plaintiffs and defendants.

During this time in private practice, some close friends approached John to ask if he would consider running for a judicial position. He was imminently qualified to be a judge, with experience in government, corporate, and law firm practice, and above all, integrity and judicial temperament. He ran successfully for a position on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals and was sworn in on the 1st of January 1995. After 17 years of dedicated service, John retired from the Court for health reasons, and was recognized by the Appellate Practice Section of the Houston Bar Association for outstanding judicial service and leadership.

John was a devout member of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors, and a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He was a patriot and a gentleman and will forever be cherished by his family.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from four o’clock in the afternoon until six o’clock in the evening on Sunday, the 27th of June, in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A funeral service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 28th of June, at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Boulevard in Houston, where the Vice Rector, Rev. Reagan W. Cocke, is to officiate.

The interment will follow, via an escorted cortege, at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at a venue to be announced during the services.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial donations in honor of Justice Anderson may be directed to the Church of St. John the Divine or to the Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org/donate).

Please visit Justice Anderson’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.