The son of an officer in the US Navy, William Anders was born in Hong Kong, China, in 1933. After high school, he entered the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1955. From there, he earned a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from the UA Air Force Institute of Technology in 1962 and completed the advanced Management Program at Harvard University in 1979.

Major General Anders has logged over 9,000 flying hours — 2,000 of those as an Air Force fighter pilot during all-weather interceptors for the Air Defense Command.

As a nuclear engineer and instructor pilot at the AF Weapons Laboratory, Anders was responsible for nuclear power applications in space as well as the space reactor radiation shielding and space radiation effect programs.

In 1968, NASA selected him for astronaut training and was assigned to Apollo 8, the first manned flight aboard the Saturn V launch vehicle and the first manned flight to circle the moon. He also served as a backup pilot for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing.

Anders, along with fellow Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, were named Men of the Year by Time Magazine.

From 1969 to 1973, Anders was appointed by President Nixon to serve as Executive Secretary of the national Aeronautics and Space Council. He also served as Commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission and was the first Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. From 1976 to 1977, Anders was the US Ambassador to Norway.

During this time, Anders also served in the Air Force Reserve Mobilization Assistance Program (1973 to 1977) in a variety of senior leadership positions, assisting UASF Headquarters Commanders in areas such as research, development and acquisition. He retired a Major General in 1988.

Anders joined the General Electric Company in 1977 as Vice President and General Manager of the Nuclear Energy Products Division and became Vice President and General Manager of the Aircraft Equipment Division in 1980.