[From the diaries by susanhu.] A few weeks ago, I lamented the passing of Earth Day (it’s hardly `celebrated’ any more) and now Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day has passed away. I met Sen. Nelson a few years ago and a more passionate and committed environmentalist would be hard to find. He was also a bit of a curmudgeon, something we could use a bit more of. He also worked with Republicans, volunteered for the Army so Let’s take a look at this man and his times:
Sen. Nelson grew up in Wisconsin, the son of a thrifty country doctor who wrote his prescriptions on the back of drug ads. As a young boy he remembers learning to love the outdoors. Possibly ironically, his home town of 700 people is named Clear Lake. His father was mayor of Clear Lake and his mother was involved in community service. His great-grandfather helped found the Republican Party in Wisconsin. Nelson remembers wanting to be in politics since he was 8 or 9 when his dad took him to hear Robert “Fighting Bob” LaFollette, leader of the Progressive Party, speak from the back of a train. Nelson remembers being impressed by the gestures and speech and when his dad asked him if he wanted to be in politics he said: “Yes, but I’m afraid by the time I grew up Bob LaFollete would have settled all the problems and there will be nothing for me to do.” Never fear Gaylord, there’s still plenty to do.
Gaylord Nelson first learned about politics when at 14 he organized campaign to plant trees along the five roads leading into Clear Lake. Nelson was not successful and faced his first, but not last, defeat in politics.
Gaylord joined the Army and served honorably during WW2. He returned to Wisconsin and married an Army nurse in 1947. Is this starting to sound like a `Father Knows Best’ story? I can see it all playing out on a B&W TV set. Well, Nelson ran for the Wisconsin legislature as a Progressive Republican in 1946. He lost. He ran for the state Senate as a Democrat in 1948 and this time he won and served ten years before being elected Governor in 1958.
One disappointment in his life was his father’s death shortly after he had been nominated for governor but before he had been elected. In one of his last conversations with his father, his dad surprised him, recalling their conversation when Gaylord was a boy, by asking him “So do you think Bob LaFollete left you enough problems to work on when you will be governor?”
Nelson was elected Senator in 1962 and took his passion for liberal causes to Washington. Nelson aligned himself with liberal Democrats supporting the Great Society legislation of the Johnson Administration. He took a special interest in education programs, highway safety, and health care and was one of the first Senators to oppose the Vietnam War. In 1965, Nelson introduced the first legislation to ban DDT. On January 19, 1970, Senator Nelson delivered a major speech in the Senate presenting his “environmental agenda,” consisting of 11 items many of which he accomplished during his career. The first item was his proposal for a constitutional amendment that read: “Every person has the inalienable right to a decent environment. The United States and every State shall guarantee this right.” OK, he didn’t get that one. He proposed creating a new environmental advocacy agency to involve citizens in environmental policy activities. Richard Nixon, a Republican President established the EPA a few years later. Next, he proposed that immediate action “to rid America in the 1970s of the massive pollution from five of the most heavily used product of our affluent age.” These five are: internal combustion engine, hard pesticides, detergent pollution, aircraft pollution, and nonreturnable containers. We’re still working on some of these. He also persuaded President Kennedy to take a nationwide tour talking about ways to help the environment. Imagine a President doing that? Gaylord then about all the `teach-ins’ about the Vietnam war and thought, why not have them on the environment as well? Thus, on April 22, 1970 was born Earth Day; A way for citizens to help and teach each other to take care of our environment. The idea went over very well.
An estimated twenty million people participated in educational activities and community events demonstrating their interest in the environment that April day. Get this: Congress recessed for the day so that House and Senate members could speak about the environment and attend community events. In New York City, Mayor John Lindsay closed Fifth Avenue to automobile traffic and 100,000 people attended an ecology fair in Central Park.
In Earth Day ceremonies at the University of Wisconsin, Senator Nelson declared:
Our goal is an environment of decency, quality, and mutual respect for all other human creatures and for all living creatures. . .The battle to restore a proper relationship between man and his environment, between man and other living creatures will require a long, sustained, political, moral, ethical, and financial commitment- -far beyond any effort made before.”
We’re still on that path Sen. Nelson. We appreciate all you’ve done and re-dedicate ourselves to making better choices in how we live our lives and to push our government to live up to the ideals you so eloquently expressed. Thank you and Goodbye.
