SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
John B. Anderson was a silver-haired, middle-of-the-road Midwest Republican Congressman of the kind you don't see today. He disliked deficits, big government and what he called moral absolutism. He supported civil rights, human rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. He was the first candidate I ever heard endorsed gay rights, or - what he called in his Illinois prairie twang - affectional preference. Toward the end of his 1980 independent campaign for president, Mr. Anderson gave his speech in San Francisco. The crowd was enormous and excited. John Anderson just said, people turn out because they see a motorcade and think it's someone important. But it's just me. John B. Anderson, a fine, funny, levelheaded man died this week at the age of 95. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.