 Anderson was born Ivan Dahl von Teler to a wealthy Danish family circa 1880, Anderson graduated from the University of Uppsala and Heidelberg studying music, literature and several languages before emigrating to the United States around the beginning of the 20th century.Although he attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison for a time, Anderson eventually dropped out and, by 1907 had begun committing petty thefts.He was in and out of prisons in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin until 1914.