Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916 – July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin. He served as a U.S. senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which started a new movement for environmental activism.
Early life and education
Nelson was born in 1916 in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, to Mary (Bradt), a nurse, and Anton Nelson, a country doctor. He had Norwegian and Irish ancestry. He attended local public schools for his education. In 1939, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from what is now San Jose State University in San Jose, California. In 1942, he received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison and was allowed to practice law. Before joining the United States Army, he worked as a lawyer. During his military service, he participated in the Okinawa campaign during World War II and reached the rank of first lieutenant.
Politics
In 1948, Nelson was elected to the Wisconsin Senate. He served there until 1958, when he was elected governor of Wisconsin. He served as governor for four years, in two terms of two years each, before being elected to the United States Senate in 1962. He served three consecutive terms as a senator from 1963 to 1981. In 1963, he persuaded President John F. Kennedy to take a national speaking tour to discuss conservation issues. Senator Nelson started Earth Day, which was a teach-in about environmental issues held on April 22, 1970. During a 1970 debate in Congress about air pollution and car emissions, Nelson proposed an amendment to the Clean Air Act that would have replaced gasoline-powered cars with electric or steam-powered vehicles. The bill was not passed because of pressure from car manufacturers.
During his 1968 re-election campaign, Nelson was praised by Vince Lombardi, the General Manager and former coach of the Green Bay Packers, as the "nation's #1 conservationist" at a banquet in Oshkosh. Nelson's campaign used Lombardi's speech in a radio and television ad, which upset Lombardi, the Wisconsin Republican Party, and Marie Lombardi, who was a strong Republican supporter.
Even though he is best known for his environmental work, Nelson was also a leading advocate for consumers, a strong supporter of civil rights and civil liberties, and one of the early people to oppose the Vietnam War. In 1969, Nelson was one of four senators who introduced a bill to create the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness.
In 1970, Nelson asked Congress to hold hearings about the safety of combined oral contraceptive pills, which became known as "The Nelson Pill Hearings." As a result of the hearings, patient instructions for the pill were required to include information about side effects—the first such requirement for a medicine.
Nelson also tried to change how medicines were marketed. In 1971, he proposed a law that would require drug companies to prove both the safety and effectiveness of their medicines. In 1975, his office received a letter stating that both Sominex and its competitor, Compoz, were not effective compared to placebos, even though $34 million was spent on sleeping aids in 1974.
Nelson was also a strong supporter of small businesses. As chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, he helped get approved the first modern White House Conference on Small Business, created a system of Small Business Development Centers at U.S. universities, and improved how federal agencies regulate small businesses and other small organizations, including the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
In 1973, Nelson was one of three senators who voted against making Gerald Ford Vice President (the other two were Thomas Eagleton and William Hathaway).
Environmentalism
After Nelson lost his 1980 election for re-election, he began working as a counselor for The Wilderness Society in January 1981. In September 1995, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work protecting the environment.
Nelson was added to the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1986. This hall of fame is located at the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The visitor center is managed by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Nelson believed that keeping the nation’s population steady was an important part of environmental efforts. He once said:
He also disagreed with the idea that protecting the environment should be less important than growing the economy.
In 2002, Nelson participated in the television show To Tell the Truth as a contestant. His role in starting Earth Day was highlighted during the show.
Death and legacy
Nelson passed away due to heart failure at the age of 89 on July 3, 2005.
The Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is named after him because he loved nature. Also, the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore—covering more than 80% of the park’s land—was named after him to honor his work in helping create the park. Governor Nelson State Park near Waunakee, Wisconsin, is also named after him. The elementary school in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, is called Gaylord A. Nelson Educational Center.