Founder of Earth Day

Born June 4th, 1916, in Clear Lake, WisconsinWas the third of four children to his father,

who was a doctor and city mayor, and to his mother, who was involved in civic matters and community service

Attended Clear Lake High School, playing both football and basketball

Attended San Jose State College in California, graduating in 1939

Nelson at his college graduation,

pictured with his mother, Mary

Dr. Nelson & Mary Nelson,

Gaylord’s parents

Clear Lake High School Band

Gaylord Nelson playing trumpet

Clear Lake School Classroom

Great-grandfather helped start the Republican Party in Wisconsin

Became interested in politics after hearing Progressive Party leader, Robert M. LaFollette speak from the back of a train

Graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School and admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1942

Served as a lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II and was a part of the Okinawa Campaign

Robert LaFollette speaking

At age 14, organized campaign to plant trees along five of the roads in Clear Lake, but was not successful

After the war, ran as a Progressive Republican for state Senate in 1946, but did not win

Ran again for state Senate again in 1948, but this time as a Democrat and won

Served on state Senate for 10 years until elected Governor in 1958

Nelson as State Senator

In 1961, won legislative approval for the Outdoor Resources Action Program, which put a one cent tax on cigarettes in order to preserve natural lands

This 10-year program created one million acres of state parks and recreation areas throughout Wisconsin

Also proposed a regulation on detergents to keep from further polluting the state’s rivers and streams

Map of Wisconsin State Parks

Elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat in 1962

Appointed to the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, which allowed him to work on natural resources policy

Also served on the Finance Committee, the Small Business Committee, the Monopoly Subcommittee on Small Business, the Subcommittee on Employment, and the Manpower and Poverty of the Labor and Public Welfare Committee

Served the Senate for 18 years until 1980 when he was surprisingly defeated by Robert W. Kasten

In 1963, gave speech to the Senate in support of bill to ban detergents from water supplies

In 1965, introduced first bill to ban the use of DDT

In 1970, gave speech to the Senate on his ‘environmental agenda’

The effects of DDT

Amend Constitution to say “Every person has the inalienable right to a decent environment. The U.S. and every State shall guarantee this right.”

Rid U.S. of massive pollution from heavily used products including the internal combustion engine, hard pesticides, detergent pollution, aircraft pollution, and nonreturnable containers

Involve citizens in environmental policy through creating an environmental advocacy agency

Regulate ocean drilling to reduce ocean pollution Create environmental education programs at all educational levels Develop mass transit systems Create a national land use policy to reduce unplanned urban

sprawl, industrial expansion, and pollution Development of national minerals & resources policy for

conservation & wise use Establish policy for air and water quality Set up a nonpartisan national environmental political action

organization

Sponsored environmental legislation that became part of the Clean Air Act, the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act, the National Lake Preservation Act, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act, the Water Quality Act, and the Wilderness Act

Worked with Johnson administration to pass the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968

Sponsored legislation to preserve the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trial System, which led to the passing of the National Trial Systems Act in 1968, as well as legislation that established fuel efficiency standards in automobiles

Worked to pass the Endangered Species ActHelped create national scenic seashores and lakeshoresInitiated Earth Day in 1970

Idea developed over a 7 year period, beginning in 1962, when Nelson convinced President Kennedy to take a national conservation tour

Disappointed that President Kennedy’s tour did not bring environmental issues to the national political agenda

While speaking out West, the thought to have a similar protest to the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations called “teach-ins” came to Nelson

In September of 1969, he announced there would be a national environmental protest in the spring of 1970

Appointed Denis Hayes to coordinate Earth Day activities from a headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Approximately 20 million Americans participatedCongress recessed for members to attend & speak

at local events 10,000 elementary & high schools; 2,000 colleges;

& 1,000 communities participatedEarth Day has been celebrated yearly since April

22nd, 1970Led President Nixon to establish the

Environmental Protection Agency

“A nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that is would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy

and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.”

-Gaylord Nelson

In 1981, Nelson became a counselor at the Wilderness Society, an organization that works to protect the environment out of Washington, D.C.

Received the Environmental Leadership Award in 1982 and the “Only One Earth” Award in 1992, both from the United Nations

Awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, by President Bill Clinton in 1995

Continued to promote Earth DayNelson receiving Medal of

Freedom

Earth Day contributed to the development of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act

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

Cremated and buried on family plot in Clear Lake, WISurvived by wife of 57 years, Carrie Lee Nelson; two

sons, Gaylord Jr. and Jeffery; and three grandchildrenRemembered in Wisconsin by the Gaylord Nelson

State Park in Madison and the Gaylord Nelson room at the town museum in Clear Lake

All About Earth Day. Retrieved from http://earthday.wilderness.org/history/.

Gaylord Nelson. Retrieved from http://wilderness.org/content/gaylord-nelson.

Nelson, Gaylord Anton. Retrieved from http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=N000033.

Schneider, K. (2005). Gaylord A. Nelson, Founder of Earth Day, Is Dead at 89. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/04/politics/04nelson.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted =print&adxnnlx=1259046108-uS5mwzto7K+19lwzi7EuCQ.

Webber, D. (1996). Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day. Retrieved from http://web.missouri.edu/~webberd/Nelson.html.