20 Facts About Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Anton Nelson was an American politician from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor.

Gaylord Nelson was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launched a new wave of environmental activism.

Gaylord Nelson grew up and was educated in the local public schools.

Gaylord Nelson practiced as a lawyer before serving in the United States Army, during which time he saw action in the Okinawa campaign during World War II.

In 1948, Gaylord Nelson was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate.

Gaylord Nelson remained there until 1958, when he was elected governor of Wisconsin.

Gaylord Nelson served for four years as governor, in two two-year terms, before being elected to the United States Senate in 1962.

Gaylord Nelson served three consecutive terms as a senator from 1963 to 1981.

Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day, which began as a teach-in about environmental issues on April 22,1970.

Gaylord Nelson's campaign turned Lombardi's banquet speech into a radio and television campaign commercial, infuriating Lombardi, the Wisconsin Republican Party, and Vince's wife, Marie, who was a staunch Republican.

In 1969, Gaylord Nelson was one of four senators to introduce a bill to establish the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness.

Gaylord Nelson further attempted to overhaul how pharmaceuticals were marketed, proposing a bill that would require drug manufacturers to prove both the safety and efficacy of their marketed drugs in 1971.

Gaylord Nelson's office received a memorandum in 1975 stating that both Sominex and its competitor Compoz had been shown ineffective when compared to placebos, in spite of the US$34 million spent on sleeping aids in 1974.

In 1973, Gaylord Nelson was one of the three senators who opposed the nomination of Gerald Ford to be Vice President.

Gaylord Nelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in September 1995 in recognition of his environmental work.

Gaylord Nelson was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1986.

Gaylord Nelson viewed the stabilization of the nation's population as an important aspect of environmentalism.

Gaylord Nelson rejected the suggestion that economic development should take precedence over environmental protection:.

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

Gaylord Nelson died of cardiovascular failure at age 89 on July 3,2005.