Warren Anderson (American businessman)

Warren Anderson
Anderson in the 1980s
Born
Warren Martin Anderson

(1921-11-29)November 29, 1921
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 2014(2014-09-29) (aged 92)
Vero Beach, Florida, U.S.
Alma materColgate University
OccupationBusinessman
Known forChair and CEO of Union Carbide Corporation during the Bhopal disaster
SpouseLillian Anderson

Warren M Anderson (November 29, 1921 – September 29, 2014) was an American businessman who was the chair and CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) at the time of the Bhopal disaster in 1984. He was charged with manslaughter by Indian authorities.[1][2] In 1989 UCC paid $479 million dollars to the Indian government (equivalent to $1.19 billion dollars in 2024) to settle litigation stemming from the disaster.[3][4]

Personal life

Anderson was born in 1921[5] in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York, to Swedish immigrants. He was named after the American president Warren Harding. He later attended the naval pre-flight school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He married Lillian Anderson.[6] They lived in Bridgehampton, Long Island, New York, and owned houses in Vero Beach, Florida, and Greenwich, Connecticut.[6] He died at a nursing home in Vero Beach, Florida, on September 29, 2014.[2]

Bhopal disaster

Main article: Bhopal disaster

The Bhopal disaster took place in a plant belonging to Union Carbide's Indian subsidiary, Union Carbide India Limited, in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, on the night of 2–3 December 1984.[7] Thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands more were injured in the disaster.[8][9] As the UCC CEO, Anderson was charged with manslaughter by Indian authorities. He flew to India and was promptly placed in custody by Indian authorities, but was allowed to return to the United States.

He was declared a fugitive from justice by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Gulab Sharma, of Bhopal on February 1, 1992, for failing to appear at the court hearings in a culpable homicide case. A formal extradition request was issued in 2003.[10][11] The United States declined to extradite him citing a lack of evidence.[12] The chief judicial magistrate of Bhopal issued an arrest warrant for Anderson on July 31, 2009.[13]

In August 2009, a UCC spokesperson said Union Carbide had no role in operating the plant at the time as the factory was owned, managed and operated by employees of Union Carbide India Limited.[14] Eight former senior employees of the subsidiary were found guilty on June 7, 2010. After these convictions, a UCC spokesperson said, "All the appropriate people from UCIL – officers and those who actually ran the plant on a daily basis – have appeared to face charges."[15]

References

  1. ^ "Former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson dead". The Economic Times. October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (October 30, 2014). "Warren Anderson, 92, Dies; Faced India Plant Disaster". New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "BHOPAL PAYMENTS BY UNION CARBIDE SET AT $470 MILLION". The New York Times. February 15, 1989. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Broughton, Edward (May 10, 2005). "The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review". Environmental Health. 4 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1186/1476-069x-4-6. ISSN 1476-069X. PMC 1142333.
  5. ^ The New York Times Biographical Service – Volume 15. New York Times & Arno Press. 1984. p. 1565.
  6. ^ a b "Wife: Ex-Exec 'Haunted' by Bhopal Gas Leak". CBS News. August 1, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Mandavilli, Apoorva (July 9, 2018). "The World's Worst Industrial Disaster Is Still Unfolding". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  8. ^ AK Dubey (June 21, 2010). "Bhopal Gas Tragedy: 92% injuries termed "minor"". First14 News. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Bhopal Saga Ingrid Eckerman 2004.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Dow Chemical Company: Bhopal Disaster". Knowmore.org. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  11. ^ "Warren Anderson: 30-Year old road to nowhere". The Indian Express. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  12. ^ Lack of Evidence Held up Anderson Extradition: MEA The Times of India, June 10, 2010
  13. ^ "Court issues arrest warrant for former CEO of Union Carbide in gas leak case". The Guardian. London. July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  14. ^ Company Defends Chief in Bhopal Disaster The New York Times, August 3, 2009
  15. ^ Vilanilam, John V. (2011). Public relations in India : new tasks and responsibilities. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE. ISBN 9788132107736. OCLC 750174249.