Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Nelson
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office January 8, 1963 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Alexander Wiley
Succeeded by	Bob Kasten
35th Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 4, 1959 – January 4, 1963
Lieutenant	Philleo Nash (1959–1961), Warren P. Knowles (1961–1963)
Preceded by	Vernon Wallace Thomson
Succeeded by	John W. Reynolds
Personal details
Born	June 4, 1916(1916-06-04) Clear Lake, Wisconsin
Died	July 3, 2005(2005-07-03) (aged 89) Kensington, Maryland
Nationality	U.S. Citizen
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carrie Lee Dotson
Children	Gaylord, Jeffrey, Tia
Alma mater	San Jose State College University of Wisconsin Law School
Occupation	Politician, activist, lawyer, veteran
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Battles/wars	World War II

Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916 – July 3, 2005) was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States Senator and governor. A Democrat, he was the principal founder of Earth Day.

Personal Biography

Nelson was born in Clear Lake, Wisconsin in 1916. He was elected governor of Wisconsin in 1958, and served one term before successfully running for Senate in 1962. He served three consecutive terms as a senator from 1963 to 1981. Always passionate about the environmental issues, he is mentioned with Al Gore, Karson Coker, and Steve Irwin. In 1963 he traveled on the Conservation Tour with President John F. Kennedy and was the principal founder of Earth Day, the first observation of which was held in 1970.

In 1970, Nelson called for Congressional hearings on the safety of combined oral contraceptive pills, which were famously called "The Nelson Pill Hearings." As a result of the hearings, side-effect disclosure was required for the pill in patient inserts – the first such disclosure for a pharmaceutical drug.

Nelson was also a noted advocate of small business. While chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, he led successful efforts to authorize the first modern White House Conference on Small Business, create the system of Small Business Development Centers at U.S. universities, and improve the way that federal agencies regulate small businesses and other small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

In 1973, Nelson was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be Vice President. (The other two were Thomas Eagleton and William Hathaway.)

Life after politics

After Nelson's 1980 defeat for re-election, he became counselor for The Wilderness Society in January 1981. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in September 1995 in recognition of his environmental work.

Nelson viewed the stabilization of the nation's population as an important aspect of environmentalism. In his words:

The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become…. We have to address the population issue. The United Nations, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it's phony to say "I'm for the environment but not for limiting immigration."

He also rejected the suggestion that economic development should take precedence over environmental protection:

The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.

In 2002 Nelson appeared on To Tell the Truth as a contestant, with his founding of Earth Day highlighted.

Background

Nelson grew up in Clear Lake, and was educated in the Clear Lake public schools. In 1939, he graduated from what is now San Jose State University in San Jose, California. In 1942, he received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, was admitted to the bar and practiced law. He also served in the United States Army, seeing action in the Okinawa campaign during World War II. In 1948, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, serving until 1958, when he was elected governor. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1962, defeating long-time incumbent Senator Alexander Wiley. He was re-elected in 1968 and 1974, but was unseated by GOP candidate Bob Kasten in 1980.

Fraternity membership

Nelson is an initiated member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, having been initiated in 1971 during a trip to La Grange, Georgia, to promote the 2nd Annual Earth Day. Ron DeValinger, the chaplain of Pi Kappa Phi’s Gamma Nu chapter at LaGrange College, was a member of Nelson’s welcoming committee. DeValinger asked Nelson if he would like to join Pi Kappa Phi. Nelson said yes and was initiated later that evening as Gamma Nu’s 60th initiate.

Death and legacy

Nelson died of cardiovascular failure at age 89 on July 3, 2005. Journalist Bill Christofferson's biography of him, "The Man from Clear Lake," was published in 2004 by the University of Wisconsin Press.

The Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is named after him in recognition of his love for nature. In addition, the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – comprising over 80% of the land area of the park – was named after him in honor of his efforts to have the park created. Governor Nelson State Park near Waunakee, Wisconsin, is also named after him.

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day: The Making of the Modern Environmental Movement – a narrative account of the origins of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson's political career, as well as online access to dozens of documents from the
• Gaylord Nelson papers, 1954–2006 held by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

• Gaylord Nelson at Find a Grave
• Gaylord Nelson at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved on 2008-02-06
• Christofferson, Bill,"The Man from Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson," The University of Wisconsin Press, 2004.
• "Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise," by Gaylord Nelson, with Susan Campbell and Paul Wozniak, The University of Wisconsin Press, 2002.
• Gaylord Nelson (Gamma Nu) – Former U.S. Senator – Gaylord Nelson Biography.

Political offices
Preceded by Vernon Wallace Thomson	Governor of Wisconsin 1959–1963	Succeeded by John W. Reynolds
Preceded by Alan Bible Nevada	Chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee 1974–1981	Succeeded by Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. Connecticut
United States Senate
Preceded by Alexander Wiley	United States Senator (Class 3) from Wisconsin 1963–1981 Served alongside: William Proxmire	Succeeded by Bob Kasten