George A. Nelson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 50th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office April 15, 1926 – January 3, 1927 | |
| Preceded by | Herman W. Sachtjen |
| Succeeded by | John W. Eber |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from thePolk County district | |
| In office January 3, 1921 – January 3, 1927 | |
| Preceded by | Axel Johnson |
| Succeeded by | E. E. Husband |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1873-11-15)November 15, 1873 Polk County, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | May 4, 1962(1962-05-04) (aged 88) St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Milltown Cemetery,Milltown, Wisconsin |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | Anna Christine Larsen |
| Children | 7 |
| Occupation | Farmer |
George A. Nelson (November 15, 1873 – May 4, 1962) was an American dairy farmer, farm organization leader, andsocialist politician. He is best remembered as the1936 candidate of theSocialist Party of America forVice President of the United States. He previously served as the 50thspeaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and representedPolk County in the Assembly for three terms.
George A. Nelson was born ofDanish parents on aPolk County, Wisconsin, farm on November 15, 1873. He worked as a farmhand in his youth but was restless and left young to see the world, sailing the length of theMississippi River and working as a laborer, miner, and machinist in some 38 states of the union,Canada, andMexico by the time he was 25.[1]
Nelson was one of the original "Sourdoughs," a miner in theYukon gold rush of 1898. While in the Yukon, George’s friend pushed him out of the way of a falling rock during a mine collapse. George survived but his friend died. George paid to have his friend’s body shipped back to his family in the lower 48 states. His adventure in the north proved to be successful and he returned to Polk County with enough gold to purchase a farm inMilltown, Wisconsin, where he worked throughout his life as a small-scale dairy farmer.[2] At the time of his 1936 campaign for Vice President of the United States, Nelson's farm consisted of 180 acres (0.73 km2), which supported 20 cows and produced various small crops.[1]
Nelson eventually married; and was the father of seven children — four boys and three girls.[2] The children assisted in the operation of the family farm and no additional labor was employed.[1] Nelson was active in thecooperative movement, which touted over 450 cooperative creameries during the decade of the 1930s.[1]
Nelson joined theSocial Democratic Party of America headed byVictor L. Berger andEugene V. Debs in 1899.[2] He served as school clerk in 1901 for 35 years. Nelson was elected to theWisconsin State Assembly and served as Speaker of the Assembly for the 1926 term.[3][4][5]
Nelson was a member of the Board of Regents of theUniversity of Wisconsin during the 1930s.[2] He was a long-time leader of theAmerican Society of Equity, a farmers' rights organization, serving as President of the Wisconsin Section from 1922 to 1931,[6] and was active in theFarm Holiday Association, elected as a vice president in 1936.
In 1934, Nelson was the candidate of the Socialist Party of America forGovernor of Wisconsin, receiving over 50,000 votes in the race.[2]
The1936 Convention of the Socialist Party, held inCleveland, Ohio, named Nelson to the ticket as the party's vice presidential nominee. With party leaderNorman Thomas fromNew York state heading the ticket and making his traditional appeal to young and educated Americans, the selection of the Midwestern farmer Nelson was clearly intended as a calculated attempt atticket balancing, a signal that the Socialist Party was ready to seriously join the growing movement for a Farmer-Labor party in America.
Nelson spent much of the 1936 campaign traveling across the midsection of the country, speaking inMinnesota andIndiana to labor and farmer groups in early July before addressing an anticipated crowd of 25,000 at theWisconsin state picnic mid-month.[7] The end of July saw Nelson making campaign stops inIllinois, where he spoke on behalf of John Fisher, the Socialist Party's candidate for governor.[8]
After the campaign stint in the Midwest, Nelson was hustled back east to the core of the Socialist Party's strength. He spoke inPennsylvania in early August before making his way toNew York City at a reception in his honor on August 13, 1936, in the club room of the Hotel Delano, where he shared the podium withHarry W. Laidler, Socialist candidate forGovernor of New York.[9] At the New York event, Nelson declared that American farmers were "victims of the capitalist skin-game" and that theNew Deal of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt was ineffectual since "we can't regulate what we don't own."[10] The end of August featured Nelson appearances inupstate New York,New Jersey,Washington, D.C., andMaryland.[10]
Nelson was a bitter opponent of the 1933Agricultural Adjustment Act, a centerpiece of the New Deal's efforts to support American farmers by cutting production to raise market prices. He declared from the stump on the campaign trail:
"We farmers were asked to ship 6 million little pigs to fertilizer plants — not to slaughter houses. We then had the further privilege of buying back fertilizer so we could raise more and better corn to feed our hogs, so the hogs could be sent to the fertilizer plant to start the circle all over again!
"But there's a certain advantage to the plan. Mother can use all those fertilizer bags to sew patches on our overalls!"[1]
After his eastern jaunt, Nelson then returned home to Wisconsin to speak at theWisconsin State Fair atMilwaukee on August 28, a city with a Socialist local government. Nelson then immediately departed for another "Socialist city," making his first appearance on the same platform as SPA Presidential nominee Thomas at a "monster rally" held inReading, Pennsylvania, on August 30.[11]
In September, Nelson was sent into the South, including campaign stops inSouth Carolina,Georgia, andFlorida.[11] October saw Nelson's return to the Midwest, where he spoke across the states ofOhio, Indiana, andMissouri[12] before heading forKansas andOklahoma.[13]
The finale of the 1936 Socialist Party campaign took place on Sunday, November 1, 1936, when the party faithful gathered atMadison Square Garden in New York City to hear Thomas, Nelson, Laidler, blackCongressional candidateFrank R. Crosswaith, and Milwaukee MayorDaniel W. Hoan. Giant portraits of Norman Thomas and George Nelson flanked the stage, with a 40-foot (12 m) tall banner of a hand-and-torch — a Socialist Party emblem — immediately behind the rostrum. Hoan and Nelson spoke from Chicago, with their voices broadcast to the huge auditorium via radio hookup. Nelson's call for America to continue "the pioneering spirit of our forefathers" towards a socialist reorganization of society drew a mighty cheer from the gathering.[14]
In 1938, Nelson was the candidate forLieutenant Governor of Wisconsin of the Farmer-Labor Progressive Federation. After that federation ended in 1941, he was again candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in 1944.[15]
George Nelson died on May 4, 1962, in a hospital inSt. Croix Falls, Wisconsin.[16]
Nelson was married and the father of four boys and three girls.[17]
One who met Nelson during his 1936 New York City campaign stop recalled him:
"George Nelson is not one of the usual 'politician' types — a hail fellow well met one minute, a very exclusive, self-important individual the next. As he is on the platform, I can picture him on the farm. And the same kindly, unassuming ways that bespeak him a good neighbor, bespeak him a genuine comrade of the party. The word, comrade, on his lips is a heart-felt recognition of the need of one man for another, a need which capitalism exploits but which genuine Socialism serves."[18]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Socialist nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin 1934 | Succeeded by Frank Zeidler (1942) |
| Preceded by | Socialist nominee forVice President of the United States 1936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Progressive nominee forLieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 1938 | Succeeded by |
| Wisconsin State Assembly | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theWisconsin State Assemblyfrom thePolk County district January 3, 1921 – January 3, 1927 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly April 15, 1926 – January 3, 1927 | Succeeded by |