“Big Gus” Anderson: Superior’s Tallest Police Officer

If you’re familiar with the history of the police department in Superior, you might know about Gust Anderson. As the tallest recorded police officer in the state of Wisconsin (and probably the entire United States!), Officer Anderson was appointed to the Superior Police Department on August 13, 1895 when he was 23 years old. While he was a standard age for a police officer in the city, his size truly set him apart.

Standing 7 feet 5 inches tall, Big Gus wore size 19 shoes, a size 7 5/8 helmet, and he weighed 325 pounds. He towered over the next tallest police officer in the area, Roy McKensie, who was 6 feet 10 ½ inches tall. 

Anderson was assigned to work the Third Street area in Superior, near several bars, brothels, and the docks. Gus was responsible for dispersing unruly crowds and being a calming presence in one of the more chaotic neighborhoods in Superior.

Big Gus served in the SPD for six years before moving to Grantsburg, Wisconsin where he became Chief of Police by 1902. Even after he left Superior, the community continued to check up on him. Several articles in the Evening Telegram were published about Anderson’s life in Grantsburg.