Farmers Group Executive Retires in 50th Year on Job

Originally, Lloyd Anderson had hoped to complete 50 years with Farmers Group Inc. But commuting between Newport Beach and downtown Los Angeles finally became too much for the 68-year-old assistant vice president. He retired last week, 11 months shy of the goal.

Nevertheless, Anderson’s 49 years and one month with the insurance holding company were sufficient to earn him the firm’s record for longest continuous service--and a new clock for his living room mantle.

Anderson joined Farmers in 1936 as a 19-year-old college student, squeezing in 30 hours a week between classes at UCLA. After graduation, he spent four years during World War II in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Anderson then returned to Farmers in 1946 and never left.

“I never looked for a better opportunity because I thought I already had a pretty good one,” he said. “Besides, I didn’t want to leave Southern California.”

When Anderson started at Farmers as a clerk, his salary was $3 a day, or $780 annually. When he retired, he was making about $60,000--more per week than he had originally earned in a year.

Anderson, whose duties included supervising the automobile actuarial department, holds Insurance Institute of America Risk Management and management certificates. He also is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.