Gaylord Nelson, Father of Earth Day - MINDS@UW Home

Wisconsin‟s lead and act on their own, and kept the pressure on
manufacturers to clean up their act and find alternatives to
phosphates. 87
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For the most part, however, Senator Gaylord Nelson was very successful
working to protect the environment. In the first place, Nelson had a perfect
conservation voting record throughout his entire senatorial career, and thus he
helped enact significant environmental legislation such as the Wilderness Act
(1964), the Land and Water Conservation Act (1965), and the National
Environmental Policy Act (1969). 88 In the second place, he personally sponsored
successful legislation, particularly in the area of wilderness protection. Third, his
colleagues in the Senate looked to him for leadership on conservation and
environmental issues, and through his relationships he built coalitions and
bridged gaps between very disparate communities.
For example, on January 2, 1969, Senator Nelson wrote a letter to
Senator John Stennis, discussing information on conservation Stennis had
requested. Nelson‟s letter was notable because it discusses the impact of Paul
Erhlich‟s book, The Population Bomb. Nelson, who inserted a response to The
Population Bomb in the Congressional Record, acknowledged the problem of
overpopulation but claimed that Erhlich overstated his prediction that the world‟s
population problem would reach a critical apex within ten years in order to shock
87 Bill Christofferson, 218.
88 Nelson, Gaylord Anton, Papers, 1954-2005, Box 1, Folio 3. Wisconsin State
Historical Society, Archives Division. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin –
Eau Claire. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On February 17, 1969, Nelson received the
National Wildlife Federation‟s “Distinguished Service to Conservation Award,” the
NWF‟s highest honor in the field of conservation legislation.
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