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{{Infobox Senator
|name=Bill Nelson
|nationality=American
|image=Bill Nelson.jpg
|jr/sr=Senior Senator
|state=[[Florida]]
|party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|term_start=January 3, 2001
|alongside=[[George LeMieux]]
|preceded=[[Connie Mack III]]
|succeeded=
|office2=[[Florida State Treasurer|Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal of Florida]]
|term2=1995-2000
|governor2=[[Lawton Chiles]] 1995-1998
[[Buddy MacKay]] 1998-1999
[[Jeb Bush]] 1999-2000
|preceded2=[[Tom Gallagher]]
|succeeded2=[[Tom Gallagher]]
|district3=[[Florida's 11th congressional district|11th]]
|state3=Florida
|term_start3=January 3, 1983
|term_end3=January 3, 1991
|preceded3=[[Daniel A. Mica]]
|succeeded3=[[Jim Bacchus]]
|district4=[[Florida's 9th congressional district|9th]]
|state4=Florida
|term_start4=January 3, 1979
|term_end4=January 3, 1983
|preceded4=[[Louis Frey]]
|succeeded4=[[Michael Bilirakis]]
|date of birth={{birth date and age|1942|09|29}}
|place of birth=[[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]]
|dead=alive
|date of death=
|place of death=
|residence=[[Orlando, Florida]]
|spouse=Grace Cavert Nelson
|children=Bill Nelson, Jr.<br/>Nan Ellen Nelson
|alma_mater=[[Yale University]],<br/>[[University of Virginia]],<br/>[[University of Florida]]
|religion=[[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalian]]
}}
{{FixBunching|mid}}
{{Infobox Astronaut
|name =Clarence William "Bill" Nelson
|image =Bill Nelson, official NASA photo.jpg
|type =[[NASA]] Payload Specialist
|nationality =[[United States|American]]
|date_birth =September 29, 1942
|place_birth =[[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]]
|previous_occupation =[[United States House of Representatives|Representative, U.S. House]]
|current_occupation =[[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]]
|selection =1985
|rank =
|time =6d 02h 03m
|mission =[[STS-61-C]]
|insignia =[[File:STS-61-c-patch.png|30px]]
}}
{{FixBunching|end}}
:''For other people named Bill Nelson, see [[Bill Nelson (disambiguation)]].''

'''Clarence William''' "'''Bill'''" '''Nelson''' (born September 29, 1942) is the senior [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from [[Florida]]. Nelson is a member of the Democratic Party. Nelson became the second sitting member of the [[United States Congress]] to fly in space (after [[Jake Garn]]) when he flew aboard the {{OV|102}} as a [[Payload Specialist]] during [[NASA]] mission [[STS-61-C]] (January 12–18, 1986). Bill Nelson lives in the Baldwin Park neighborhood of [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] (as does former Republican Senator [[Mel Martinez]]) and Washington. The ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' named him among the top 25 most powerful people in Central Florida.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-maxwell2808dec28,0,689864.column|title=Who is the most powerful person in Central Florida?|last=Maxwell|first=Scott |date=2008-12-29|publisher=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> Nelson is also a member of [[The Family (Christian political organization)|The Family]].<ref name=harpers-2003-03>{{cite web |first=Jeff |last=Sharlet |title=Jesus plus nothing: Undercover among America's secret theocrats |url=http://www.harpers.org/archive/2003/03/0079525 |publisher=[[Harper's Magazine]] |year=2003 |month=March |accessdate=2009-07-20}}</ref>

==Early life==

Nelson was born in [[Miami]] to Nannie Merle and C. W. Nelson.<ref>http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/nelsonbil.htm</ref> He spent his formative years in [[Melbourne, Florida]], where he attended public school.<ref>http://billnelson.senate.gov/about/biography.cfm</ref> In his youth, he served as the world's International President of [[Key Club]]. He attended the [[University of Florida]] for three years, where he was a member of [[Beta Theta Pi]], and then transferred to [[Yale University]], where he received his [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1965. During his time at [[Yale]], Nelson was tapped for membership in the University's secret society, [[Book and Snake]]. He served in the [[United States Army Reserves|U.S. Army Reserves]] from 1965 to 1971. During this time, Nelson studied at the [[University of Virginia]], where he received his [[Juris Doctor|law degree]] in 1968.

Nelson married Grace Cavert in 1972; they have two children: Bill Nelson, Jr. and Nan Ellen Nelson.

==Early career==
Nelson worked as a fire marshal and later as a lawyer before beginning his political career in the [[Florida House of Representatives]]. Nelson served in the state house from 1972 to 1979.

==U.S. House of Representatives==
Nelson was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in [[U.S. House election, 1978|1978]]. He served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991.

In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress (and the first from the House) to travel into space. He went through NASA training, along with Senator [[Jake Garn]] of Utah. He was a [[Payload Specialist]] on {{OV|102}}'s [[STS-61-C]] mission from January 12–18. Ten days after his return, on January 28, 1986, the {{OV|099}} [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|exploded]] shortly after lift-off.

==1990–2000==
===Gubernatorial campaign===
In 1990, Nelson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for [[Governor of Florida]]. He lost to former U.S. Senator [[Lawton Chiles]], who went on to win the general election. During the primary campaign, Nelson tried to make an issue out of Chiles' health and age, a strategy that backfired on him in a state with a large population of retirees and senior citizens.

===Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner===
In June 1994 Nelson announced his intention to seek the office of [[Treasurer/Insurance Commissioner/Fire Marshal|Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida]]. Nelson defeated State Rep. Tim Ireland in November 1994 by a 52% to 48% margin. Nelson would go on to defeat Ireland again for his reelection to the office in 1998.

In 2000, Nelson resigned his post as Commissioner following his election to the [[U.S. Senate]].

==U.S. Senate==
===Election===
In 2000, the Democrat Nelson won the [[U.S. Senate election, 2000|election]] for U.S. Senator from Florida, defeating the U.S. Representative [[Bill McCollum]], the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] candidate. The election was to replace the retiring Republican Senator [[Connie Mack III|Connie Mack]].

===Political actions and positions===
Nelson has been a vocal opponent of oil drilling off Florida's coast and supports allowing the government to negotiate for lower drug prices from pharmaceutical companies in the Medicare prescription drug program. He was among the few Democrats to vote in favor of [[Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement|CAFTA]]. He has also voted in favor of tighter [[Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act|bankruptcy restrictions]] and abolishing the [[Estate tax (United States)|estate tax]]. Nelson has received a 75-percent rating from the [[National Abortion Rights Action League]]. He has voted against the [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]] as it had no exception for the life or health of the mother.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00051 Roll call vote on S. 2, the Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2003]</ref> He has also voted against a bill providing for criminal penalties for anyone harming an unborn child during the commission of a crime.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00063 Roll call vote on H.R. 1997, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004]</ref> In general, Nelson has high ratings from other left-of-center political action groups.<ref>[http://votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=MFL25165&type=category&category=Civil%2BRights&go.x=3&go.y=5 Project Vote Smart]</ref>

Nelson has also introduced legislation banning paperless electronic voting machines.<ref>http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=11103&z=3&p=</ref>{{Dead link|date=September 2009}}

In 2007, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted on a measure to de-fund torture by the [[CIA]] except in "dire emergencies." Nelson was the lone Democrat to vote against the measure, but all Republicans voted against it as well, thus defeating it.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/washington/01intel.html?ex=1338350400&en=3e4f1dbf2eebd1a8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Senate Panel Questions C.I.A. Detentions]</ref>

Senator Nelson is also a member of the [[Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus]]

==2006 re-election campaign==
[[File:Nelson Hurricane Hunter.jpg|thumb|Sen. Nelson works with government storm trackers during a hurricane-hunter flight into the center of Hurricane Charley in August 2004]]
{{Main|Florida United States Senate election, 2006}}

Nelson's job approval ratings were 49 percent during the 2006 campaign, three percentage points higher than fellow Florida senator [[Mel Martinez]], a Republican in a nominally [[Red state vs. blue state divide|red state]].

Republican Rep. [[Katherine Harris]] won the Republican primary, and faced Nelson in the November general election. In an interview with [[Sean Hannity]] on March 15, 2006, Harris claimed that Nelson was a member of the ideological [[far-left]] and had taken [[bribes]]. She did not state from whom, nor did she give any other specifics as to these allegations. Nelson is generally regarded as a moderate in Florida.<ref>[http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/100USSenator060221State.htm SurveyUSA - 100 US Senator Approval Ratings 02/06 Sort By State<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>

[[James Dobson]] promised to launch a battle "from sea to shining sea" against Nelson's reelection if he participated in a filibuster of Bush's pro-government court nominees.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20050311175154/http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050101-091244-8539r.htm James Dobson threatens six senators - (United Press International)<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Dobson has been joined by other activists, such as [[Randall Terry]], because of Nelson's opposition to the nomination of [[Samuel Alito]] and his refusal to join what were largely Republican failed efforts to intervene in the [[Terri Schiavo case]]. The Schiavo incident prompted [[Brian Darling]], a strategist in [[Mel Martinez]]'s staff, to write the [[Schiavo memo]] that articulated a plan to use the Schiavo controversy as a campaign tool against Nelson in 2006. Darling resigned when it was traced to him, and Martinez apologized publicly to Nelson.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7412110/ Senator’s office produced Schiavo memo]</ref>

Nelson was reelected as Senator on November 7, 2006 with 60 percent of the vote. His victory is the largest margin by a Democratic candidate in the state in many years.<ref>http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11385.xml?ReleaseID=942</ref><ref>[http://www.mason-dixon.com/news_text.cfm?news_id=237]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://strategicvision.biz/political/florida_poll_072606.htm Strategic Vision Political<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>

==Committee Assignments==
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]]'''
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities|Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities]]
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on SeaPower|Subcommittee on SeaPower]]
**[[United States Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces|Subcommittee on Strategic Forces]] (Chairman)
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]]'''
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation]]'''
**[[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security|Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security]]
**[[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety|Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety]]
**[[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard|Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard]]
**[[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences|Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences]] (Chairman)
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Committee on Foreign Relations]]'''
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs|Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs]]
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs|Subcommittee on African Affairs]]
**[[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Democracy and Human Rights|Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Democracy and Human Rights]]
*'''[[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Select Committee on Intelligence]]'''
*'''[[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Special Committee on Aging]]'''

==Trip to Damascus==
On December 13, 2006, Nelson went to Damascus and met with Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]]. This came following his appointment to the Senate Intelligence Committee. "He (Assad) stated that we in fact, have an interest, common interest, to stabilize Iraq. I think it is a crack in the door, and it is for discussions to continue," he said in a conference call from Amman, Jordan after meeting Assad in Damascus. The White House said that members of congress should not be going to [[Syria]]. "I think it is a real stretch to think that the Syrians don't know where we stand or what we think. We have made it clear and we will continue to make it clear," [[White House]] spokesman [[Tony Snow]] said.
In the days following Nelson's meeting with Assad, Senator [[Arlen Specter]] flew to Syria and met with Assad. Specter wrote an op-ed in the [[Philadelphia Inquirer]] that emphasized the importance of such visits and reaffirmed Nelson's position that it was part of his constitutional duty.<ref>[http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.Articles&ContentRecord_id=62ec79ac-d815-4521-9e0a-b19efca73410&Region_id=&Issue_id= Why Congress Can and Must Assert Itself in Foreign Policy]</ref>

==Florida primary controversy==
In 2007, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed a measure that changed Florida's primary date to January 29, several weeks earlier than the previous date. The measure passed the Florida House of Representatives by a vote of 118-0, and passed the State Senate by a vote of 37-2.<ref>[http://www.myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=35049&SessionIndex=-1&SessionId=54&BillText=&BillNumber=537&BillSponsorIndex=0&BillListIndex=0&BillStatuteText=&BillTypeIndex=0&BillReferredIndex=0&HouseChamber=H&BillSearchIndex=0 CS/HB 537 - Elections]</ref> This change was in violation of the Democratic National Committee's rules regarding state primary dates, which caused the DNC Chairman Howard Dean to threaten to strip the state of its delegates to the Democratic National Convention if they did not schedule the primary for a date that fell within the guidelines of the DNC. Senator Nelson played an active role in attempting to restore the activity of the delegates, going so far as to threaten a lawsuit against the DNC if an appropriate settlement was not reached.<ref>http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/CAPITOLNEWS/709260350/1010/NEWS01</ref>{{Dead link|date=September 2009}} On May 31, 2008 the DNC bylaws committee decided to seat all of the Florida delegates with each being apportioned one-half vote.<ref>[http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/05/31/dncs-statement-on-the-florida-and-michigan-delegations/ DNC’s Statement on the Florida and Michigan Delegations]</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin |title=Florida Governor, Democratic primary election 1990 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = [[Lawton Chiles]]
|votes = 745,325
|percentage = 69.5
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Bill Nelson
|votes = 327,731
|percentage = 30.5
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |title=Florida State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal election 1994 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Bill Nelson
|votes = 2,070,604
|percentage = 51.7
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = [[Tim Ireland]]
|votes = 1,933,570
|percentage = 48.3
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |title=Florida State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal election 1998 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Bill Nelson (Incumbent)
|votes = 2,195,283
|percentage = 56.5
|change = +4.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = Tim Ireland
|votes = 1,687,712
|percentage = 43.5
|change = -4.8
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |title=Florida U.S. Senate election 2000 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Bill Nelson
|votes = 2,987,644
|percentage = 52.1
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = [[Bill McCollum]]
|votes = 2,703,608
|percentage = 47.2
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin |title=Florida U.S. Senate election 2006 }}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Bill Nelson (Incumbent)
|votes = 2,890,548
|percentage = 60.3
|change = +9.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = [[Katherine Harris]]
|votes = 1,826,127
|percentage = 38.1
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*[http://billnelson.senate.gov/ United States Senator Bill Nelson], U.S. Senate site
{{CongLinks | congbio = n000032 | fec = S8FL00166 | opensecrets = N00009926 | votesmart = MFL25165 | ontheissuespath = Senate/Bill_Nelson.htm }}
*[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nelson-b.html NASA{{ndash}} Bill Nelson] official astronaut biography
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/bill_nelson/index.html New York Times{{ndash}} Bill Nelson News] collected news and commentary
*[http://www.billnelson.org/ Nelson for US Senate], Campaign site

{{start box}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{USRepSuccessionBox | state=Florida | district=9 | before=[[Louis Frey]] (R) | after=[[Michael Bilirakis]] (R) | years=January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983}}
{{USRepSuccessionBox | state=Florida | district=11 | before=[[Daniel A. Mica]] (D) | after=[[Jim Bacchus]] (D) | years=January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1991}}
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{U.S. Senator box
|state=Florida
|class=1
|before=[[Connie Mack III]] (R)
|after=Incumbent
|years=January 3, 2001-
|alongside=[[Bob Graham]], [[Mel Martinez]], [[George LeMieux]]}}
{{s-off|us}}
{{succession box
|before= [[Sam Brownback]]<br/><small>R-[[Kansas]]</small>
|title=[[United States Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences|Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences]]
|years=January 4, 2007&ndash;present
|after=Incumbent}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box
|before= [[Hugh Rodham]]
|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nominee for [[United States Senator]] from [[List of United States Senators from Florida|Florida]]<br/>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 1]])
|years=[[United States Senate elections, 2000|2000]], [[United States Senate election in Florida, 2006|2006]]
|after=[[United States Senate elections, 2012|To be determined]]}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Evan Bayh]]<br/><small>D-[[Indiana]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of current United States Senators by seniority|United States Senators by seniority]]|years=53rd}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas R. Carper]]<br/><small>D-[[Delaware]]</small>}}
{{end box}}
{{USSenFL}}
{{FL-FedRep}}
{{Current U.S. Senators}}
{{Current Florida statewide political officials}}

{{Persondata
|NAME= Nelson, Bill
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= American politician
|DATE OF BIRTH= September 29, 1942
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Bill}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:University of Florida alumni]]
[[Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:American astronauts]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:American military personnel]]
[[Category:Florida lawyers]]
[[Category:Florida Democrats]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Florida House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida]]
[[Category:United States Army officers]]
[[Category:United States Senators from Florida]]
[[Category:Florida Blue Key initiates]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]

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Revision as of 20:34, 13 October 2009

hello how are ypourt fvje[v]rdv dfc dfac j sdv'jsdzv]dv

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