Gaylord nelson upbringing

Born Gaylord Anton Nelson, June 4, , in Clear Lake, WI; died of cardiovascular failure, July 3, , in Kensington, MD. Politician and environmentalist. Using his position first as a Wisconsin governor and later as a U.S. senator representing that state, Gaylord A.

Nelson promoted the protection of the environment. His environmental activism reached its zenith in when he founded the first Earth Day. Nelson continued to support such causes until his death.

The holder reserves, or holds for their own use, all the rights provided by law, such as distribution, performance, and creation of derivative works. Christofferson, Bill. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, On Earth Day twenty million Americans displayed their commitment to a clean environment. More than one billion people now participate in annual Earth Day activities.

Nelson was born and raised in the small Wisconsin town of Clear Lake, where his father had a small medical practice. His mother worked as a registered nurse. Politics was part of Nelson&#x;s family heritage: a great-grandfather was one of the founders of Wisconsin&#x;s Republican party. Both of Nelson&#x;s parents were also active politically, as supporters of the Progressive Republicans.

Nature was also important to the young Nelson. The outdoors provided entertainment for him since his family did not even own a radio until he was in high school.

Gaylord Nelson had an idea for a day focused on the environment. That idea would become the internationally recognized annual event, Earth Day, and would inspire generations of people to learn about and care for the earth. Born and raised in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, Gaylord went on to become a state senator, governor of Wisconsin, and a United States senator. With every step he took in his career and in his life, he kept his eyes on the environment. He advocated for change in the halls of government, in classrooms, and in communities, to ensure a better world for us all.

After graduating from high school, Nelson went to California, where he earned a bachelor&#x;s degree from San Jose State University. He then returned to Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin law school, earning his degree in When he completed his degree, World War II was still being fought. Nelson joined the U.S. Army and was given the rank of lieutenant.

He was put charge of a unit that consisted of segregated African-American soldiers, and was involved in the battles around Okinawa.

When Nelson&#x;s tour of duty ended in , he returned to Wisconsin. There, he founded his own law practice in Madison and married Carrie Lee Dotson, an army nurse he met during the war. Nelson soon began a political career as well.

After losing a race for the House of Representatives as a Progressive Republican in , Nelson was elected to the state senate of Wisconsin as a Democrat in Nelson was re-elected to the post in and

In , Nelson ran for a new office, that of Wisconsin&#x;s governor. When he won, he was only the second Democrat to hold that position in the twentieth century.

During his four years in office, Nelson decided that environmental issues were quite important but often ignored by politicians.

Gaylord nelson parents

How did gaylord nelson die

Gaylord nelson wife

What did gaylord nelson do for the environment

He changed that trend in his own time in office. For example, with his Outdoor Recreation Act Program, a one-cent tax on cigarette packages raised millions of dollars which was used to buy a million acres of land to preserve.

Nelson took his environmental activism to the national level when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in During his time in the office, he came to be known as a popular, though independent-minded, senator.

While particularly concerned with environmental issues, he was also one of the first senators to speak out against the Vietnam War as early as , a position he held until the war&#x;s end.

Nelson&#x;s definition of what was &#x;environmental&#x; encompassed many concerns over the years. He worked to have the pollution produced by cars regulated and was involved with the protection of the oceans.

Nelson helped to get the harmful pesticide DDT as well as Agent Orange eradicated. He also wanted family planning to be available worldwide. In , Nelson sponsored the Wilderness Act. This law ensured that some acreage would be set aside by federal agencies from areas where logging and mining activities took place.

Four years later, he helped get the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act passed.

The most high-profile environmental act of Nelson&#x;s political career was the founding of Earth Day. Its creation was inspired by a visit to Santa Barbara, California, shortly after an oil spill occurred on a nearby shore.

Nelson enlisted the help of mayors and governors from a number of states to organize an event to heighten national awareness about environmental issues.

Gaylord nelson Politician and environmentalist. Using his position first as a Wisconsin governor and later as a U. Nelson promoted the protection of the environment. His environmental activism reached its zenith in when he founded the first Earth Day. Nelson continued to support such causes until his death.

The first Earth Day occurred on April 22, , and garnered widespread public support. Nearly 20 million Americans participated in public events, both educational and practical, through schools, colleges, and communities. Upon Nelson&#x;s death, Ben Beach, a member of the Wilderness Society, told Michael Kilian of the Chicago Tribune , &#x;Earth Day proved the power of an idea.

This simple but compelling idea truly made the world a better place.&#x;

As the power and public support of Earth Day was realized, Congress passed a significant number of environmental laws over the next decade, with Nelson often playing a role in their creation. Nelson&#x;s influence also led to the passage of the Environmental Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Another piece of legislation put the Appalachian Trail under the protection of the federal government. President Richard M. Nixon even created a new federal department, the Environmental Protection Agency, several months after the first Earth Day.

In , Nelson was asked to be Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern&#x;s running mate, but Nelson declined because did not want to be limited in what he could say.

After being elected to three terms as U.S. senator, Nelson lost a close election to Robert W. Kasten, Jr., in , the year many Republicans came to office on the coattails of new president Ronald Reagan. After being forced from office, Nelson took a position as a counselor to the Wilderness Society, a nonprofit environmental group, where he spent the last 24 years of his career.

By , Nelson&#x;s Earth Day was still going strong, with million people in countries participating in that year&#x;s festivities. Nelson remained a dynamic environmental activist, still concerned with, among other things, population control. In , he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for his environmental activities.

This is the highest honor a civilian can receive from the U.S. government. Nelson died of heart failure at his home in Kensington, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., on July 3, ; he was He is survived by his wife, his sons Gaylord, Jr., and Jeffrey; his daughter, Tia, and four grandchildren.

Gaylord nelson biography of christopher Portrait of Gaylord Nelson. View the original source document: WHI The sponsor of several significant environmental bills, Gaylord Nelson is best known as the founder of Earth Day. After four years in the Army during World War II, Nelson returned to Wisconsin where he ran as a progressive Republican for the state legislature in , losing his first race. In he ran again, this time for the state Senate and as a Democrat.

Sources: Chicago Tribune , July 4, , sec. 1, p. 5; , (July 7, ); Los Angeles Times , July 4, , p. B11; New York Times , July 4, , p.

Gaylord nelson siblings: The seemingly simple idea - a day set aside to focus on protecting our natural environment - was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. It accomplished, far beyond his expectations, his lifelong goal of putting the environment onto the nation's and the world's political agendas.

A12; Times (London), July 5, , p. 54; Washington Post , July 4, , p. A1, p. A8.