Bill Nelson
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| Bill Nelson | |
 | |
| | |
| 2001–Present | |
| Political party: | Democratic |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Connie Mack III |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2013) |
| Born: | September 29, 1942 Miami, Florida |
| Spouse: | Grace Cavert Nelson |
| Religion: | Protestant |
- For other people named Bill Nelson, see Bill Nelson (disambiguation).
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson (born September 29, 1942) is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. Nelson is a Democrat.
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[edit] Early life, education, and family
Nelson was born in Miami in 1942 to English-American parents. He attended the University of Florida, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, and then Yale University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1965 to 1971. During this time, Nelson studied at the University of Virginia, where he received his law degree in 1968.
Nelson married Grace Cavert in 1972; they have two children: Bill Nelson, Jr. and Nan Ellen Nelson.
[edit] Early career
Nelson worked as a fire marshal and later as a lawyer before beginning his political career in the Florida House of Representatives. Nelson served in the state house from 1972 to 1979.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
Nelson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. He served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991.
In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress (and the first from the House) to travel into space. He went through NASA training, along with Senator Jake Garn, of Utah and then flew as an astronaut. He was the payload specialist on Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-61-C mission, with six other astronauts, from January 12-18. Ten days after his return, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off.
Some claim his advertisements and Congressional headshots, showing Nelson in his astronaut jumpsuit, consist of fraud, as he was not a "career astronaut" and that he did not have "astronaut training." However, few remain with the space program for more than the time needed to train for and execute their flights. Nelson did participate in several months of extremely difficult training, crosstraining before astronaut selection to improve his chances. As well, he performed several experiments while in space. He also ate a grapefruit, a tribute to Florida citrus.
| Astronaut | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 29, 1942 Miami, Florida |
| Current occupation | U.S. Senator |
| Previous occupation | Representative, U.S. House |
| Space time | 6d 02h 03m |
| Selection | 1985 |
| Mission(s) | STS-61-C |
| Mission insignia | 
|
[edit] 1990-2000
In 1990, Nelson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Florida. He lost to former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles, who went on to win the general election. During the primary campaign, Nelson tried to make an issue out of Chiles' health and age, a strategy that backfired on him in a state with a large population of retirees and senior citizens.
From 1995 to 2000, Nelson was the Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida.
[edit] U.S. Senate
[edit] Election
In 2000, Nelson won the election for U.S. Senator from Florida, defeating then-Representative Bill McCollum, the Republican candidate. The election was to replace retiring Republican Senator Connie Mack.
[edit] Political actions and positions
Nelson has been a vocal opponent of oil drilling off Florida's coast. He supports allowing the government to negotiate for lower drug prices from pharmaceutical companies in the Medicare prescription drug program. He is generally regarded as a moderate, and was among the few Democrats to vote in favor of CAFTA. He has also voted in favor of tighter bankruptcy restrictions and abolishing the estate tax.
[edit] 2006 re-election campaign
Nelson was reelected as Senator on November 7, 2006 with 61 percent of the vote. His victory is the largest margin by a Democratic candidate in the state in many years.
His approval ratings were 49 percent, three percentage points higher than fellow Florida senator Mel Martinez, a Republican in a nominally red state.
Republican Representative Katherine Harris won the Republican primary, and faced Nelson in the November general election. In an interview with Sean Hannity on March 15, 2006, Harris claimed that Nelson was a member of the ideological far-left and had taken bribes. She did not state specifically from whom, nor given any specifics as to these allegations. Nelson is generally regarded as a moderate in Florida.[1]
James Dobson promised to launch "a battle from sea to shining sea" against Nelson's reelection if he participated in a filibuster of Bush's "strict constructionist" court nominees.[2] Dobson was been joined by other Republican activists, such as Randall Terry, because of his opposition to Samuel Alito and his refusal to join what were largely Republican efforts to block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. The Schiavo incident prompted Brian Darling, a strategist in Mel Martinez's staff, to write the Schiavo memo that articulated a plan to use the Schiavo controversy as a campaign tool against Nelson in 2006. Darling resigned when it was traced to him, and Martinez apologized publicly to Nelson.[citation needed]
Through the campaign, most polls showed Nelson leading Harris by fairly significant margins. One poll by Strategic Vision showed his lead at nearly 3-1, 60 to 22 percent. [3] [4][5]
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official Campaign website
- Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
- Spacefacts biography of Bill Nelson
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Louis Frey, Jr. | United States Representative for the 9th Congressional District of Florida 1979–1983 | Succeeded by: Michael Bilirakis |
| Preceded by: Daniel A. Mica | United States Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Florida 1983–1991 | Succeeded by: Jim Bacchus |
| Preceded by: Tom Gallagher | Florida State Treasurer 1995–2001 | Succeeded by: Tom Gallagher |
| Preceded by: Connie Mack III | United States Senator (Class 1) from Florida 2001- | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
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Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | 1942 births | American astronauts | American Episcopalians | English Americans | Beta Theta Pi brothers | Florida lawyers | Living people | Members of the Florida House of Representatives | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida | United States Army officers | United States Senators from Florida | Yale University alumni
