Founder Of Earth Day Passes On
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Environment, General Politics
Gaylord Nelson, former Senator from the great state of Wisconsin, died today of cardiovascular failure. He was 89.
Before his political career started, Nelson recieved a law degree from University of Wisconsin and served four years in the U.S. Army during the height of WWII. In 1958, he became a Senator and fought hard for the environment, eventually passing the Wilderness Act of 1964 which helped preserve and protect over 6,832,800 acres.
Here’s a snippet from today’s NY Times:
On March 25, 1963, in his first Senate speech, he framed the declining condition of the nation’s air and water as a national issue. “We need a comprehensive and nationwide program to save the national resources of America,” he said. “Our soil, our water, and our air are becoming more polluted every day. Our most priceless natural resources - trees, lakes, rivers, wildlife habitats, scenic landscapes - are being destroyed.”
Rest in peace Senator Nelson.
This entry was posted on Sunday, July 3rd, 2005 and is filed under Environment, General Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
