Born in Lowell, Mass., in 1936, Mr. Anderson graduated from Dartmouth College before earning a master’s degree in engineering and business administration. He earned a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and went on to teach at Columbia University’s business school. He joined the Hoover Institution as a fellow in 1971. Mr. Anderson often interrupted his political, writing and teaching careers to serve on political campaigns and administrations. He advised multiple presidents on issues like domestic policy, missile defense and ending the military draft, according to the Hoover Institution. He helped advise Mr. Nixon during his bid for the White House in 1968, later serving as a special consultant. He went on to help Mr. Reagan win the presidential race in 1980, and continued as a top policy adviser for two more years. Mr. Anderson resigned from the Reagan administration in 1982, citing personal reasons, but remained a staunch defender of the president’s legacy and policies. He and his wife edited a collection of Mr. Reagan’s essays, Mr. Anderson is survived by his wife Annelise Anderson, and his half brother, James McHugh Jr.