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.
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 ab...
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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.
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...
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