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

huge demonstration would “…shake up the establishment and put the
environment on the national political agenda.” 122
After returning to Washington, Nelson put his plans into motion. The first
thing he did is start raising money. His first call was to Walter Reuther, President
of the United Auto Workers. According to Nelson, Reuther “…was an old friend,
a wonderful person, and a great supporter of the environment…” who ended up
agreeing to donate $2000. 123 Other donors soon followed.
In addition to Reuther‟s donation, Nelson also accepted money from
George Meany, president of the AFL-CIO, who only showed interest after being
told that Walter Reuther had already donated. 124 Evidently the two men‟s
political and personal rivalry extended into any arena where one could top the
other. In this instance, their competitive natures ended up helping to organize
Earth Day. As well, Nelson himself also donated all of his Earth Day related
speaking fees, totaling $18,000.
The leaders of Earth Day, however, were not indiscriminate. They did not
accept all of the donations they received. According to Senator Nelson‟s
records, they did reject some checks, notably those from Standard Oil,
122 Gaylord Nelson, interview with Dr. Heather Newbold, October 23, 1996.
Gaylord Nelson Papers, 1954-2005. Box 1, Folio 4. Wisconsin State Historical
Society, McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Eau Claire,
Wisconsin.
123 Gaylord Nelson Papers, 1954-2005. Box 6, Folio 28. Wisconsin State
Historical Society, McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Eau
Claire, Wisconsin.
124 Gaylord Nelson, interview with Dr. Heather Newbold, October 23, 1996.
Gaylord Nelson Papers, 1954-2005. Box 1, Folio 4. See also Environmental
Teach-In Contributions. Gaylord Nelson Papers, 1954-2005. Box 6, Folio 28.
Wisconsin State Historical Society, McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin –
Eau Claire. Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
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