The Man From Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson

Bill Christofferson

University of Wisconsin Pres, Jan 15, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 694 pages

On Earth Day 1970 twenty million Americans displayed their commitment to a clean environment. It was called the largest demonstration in human history, and it permanently changed the nation’s political agenda. More than 1 billion people now participate in annual Earth Day activities.
    The seemingly simple idea—a day set aside to focus on protecting our natural environment—was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. It accomplished, far beyond his expectations, his lifelong goal of putting the environment onto the nation’s and the world’s political agendas.
    The life of Nelson, a small-town boy who learned his values and progressive political principles at an early age, is woven through the political history of the twentieth century. Nelson’s story intersects at times with Fighting Bob La Follette, Joe McCarthy, and Bill Proxmire in Wisconsin, and with George McGovern, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Russell Long, Walter Mondale, John F. Kennedy, and others on the national scene.

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Review: The Man from Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson

User Review  - Lindsey - Goodreads

In an effort to keep my reading well-rounded, I picked up this biography. The book served to remind me of how much politics factors into life. Favorite quote: The battle to restore a proper ...

Contents

• 22 April 1970: 1
• 1 The Nelsons of Clear Lake: 11
• 2 Happy: 36
• 3 Into the World: 53
• 4 General Nelson: 63
• 5 Losing with La Follette: 77
• 6 Building a Party: 90
• 7 Taking on McCarthy: 105
• 8 Getting Ready to Run: 118
• 9 Nelson for Governor: 134
• 10 A TwoParty State: 153
• 11 An Ambitious Agenda: 165
• 12 Family Fights: 203
• 13 Still the Underdogs: 214
• 14 The Conservation Governor: 230
• 15 The Great Tax Debate: 248
• 16 On to the Senate: 265
• 17 The First Shall Be Last: 283
• 18 Enlisting the President: 295
• 19 Joining the Club: 317
• 20 Defending the Constitution: 335
• 21 Saving the Appalachian Trail: 355
• 22 The Hard Detergent Battle: 364
• 23 The Great Society: 374
• 24 Islands and Rivers: 404
• 25 Protecting Consumers: 425
• 26 The Great Lakes: 450
• 27 The Fight to Ban DDT: 464
• 28 Vietnam: 480
• 29 Earth Day: 516
• 30 Immune to Presidential Fever: 535
• 31 The Environmental Decade: 560
• 32 A Lasting Legacy: 578
• Notes: 601
• Bibliography: 665
• Index: 671

About the author

Bill Christofferson, a former journalist and longtime Wisconsin political consultant, now retired, lives in Milwaukee.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Man From Clear Lake: Earth Day Founder Senator Gaylord Nelson
• Author: Bill Christofferson
• Edition: illustrated, large print
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres, 2010
• ISBN: 0299196461, 9780299196462
• Length: 694 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Political; History / United States / 20th Century; Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection