George A. Nelson
Encyclopedia
George A. Nelson was a dairy farmer, a farm organization leader, and an American socialist politician. He is best remembered as the 1936 candidate of the Socialist Party of America
for Vice President of the United States
.
parents on a Polk 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 the Mississippi River
and working as a laborer, miner, and machinist in some 38 states of the union, Canada
, and Mexico
by the time he was 25.
Nelson was one of the original "Sourdoughs," a miner in the Yukon gold rush of 1898. His adventure in the north proved to be successful and he returned to Polk County with enough gold to purchase a farm in Milltown, Wisconsin
, where he worked throughout his life as a small scale dairy farmer. At the time of his 1936 campaign for Vice President of the United States, Nelson's farm consisted of 180 acre (0.7284348 km²), which supported 20 cows and produced various small crops.
Nelson eventually married and was the father of seven children — four boys and three girls. The children assisted in the operation of the family farm and no additional labor was employed. Nelson was active in the cooperative movement, which touted over 450 cooperative creameries during the decade of the 1930s.
and Eugene V. Debs
in 1899. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly
and served as Speaker of the Assembly for the 1926 term.
Nelson was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin during the 1930s. He was a long-time leader of the American Society of Equity, a farmers' rights organization, serving as President of the Wisconsin Section from 1922 to 1931, and was active in the Farm Holiday Association, elected as a Vice President in 1936.
In 1934, Nelson was the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for Governor of Wisconsin
, receiving over 50,000 votes in the race.
The 1936 Convention of the Socialist Party, held in Cleveland, Ohio
, named Nelson to the ticket as the party's Vice Presidential nominee. With party leader Norman Thomas
from New 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 at ticket 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 in Minnesota
and Indiana
to labor and farmer groups in early July before addressing an anticipated crowd of 25,000 at the Wisconsin
state picnic mid-month. The end of July saw Nelson making campaign stops in Illinois
, where he spoke on behalf of John Fisher, the Socialist Party's candidate for governor.
After the campaign stint in the Midwest, Nelson was hustled back east to the core of the Socialist Party's strength. He spoke in Pennsylvania
in early August before making his way to New 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 with Harry W. Laidler
, Socialist candidate for Governor of New York
. At the New York event, Nelson declared that American farmers were "victims of the capitalist skin-game" and that the New Deal
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
was ineffectual since "we can't regulate what we don't own." The end of August featured Nelson appearances in upstate New York
, New Jersey
, Washington, DC, and Maryland
.
Nelson was a bitter opponent of the 1933 Agricultural 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:
After his eastern jaunt, Nelson then returned home to Wisconsin to speak at the Wisconsin State Fair
at Milwaukee 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 in Reading, Pennsylvania
on August 30.
In September, Nelson was sent into the South, including campaign stops in South Carolina
, Georgia
, and Florida
. October saw Nelson's return to the Midwest, where he spoke across the states of Ohio
, Indiana, and Missouri
before heading for Kansas
and Oklahoma
.
The finale of the 1936 Socialist Party campaign took place on Sunday, November 1, 1936, when the party faithful gathered at Madison Square Garden
in New York City to hear Thomas, Nelson, Laidler, black Congressional candidate Frank R. Crosswaith, and Milwaukee Mayor Daniel W. Hoan. Giant portraits of Norman Thomas and George Nelson flanked the stage, with a 40 feet (12.2 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.
In 1938, Nelson was the candidate for Lieutenant 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.
Nelson was married and the father of four boys and three girls.
One who met Nelson during his 1936 New York City campaign stop recalled him:
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
.
Early years
George A. Nelson was born of DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
parents on a Polk 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 the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and working as a laborer, miner, and machinist in some 38 states of the union, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by the time he was 25.
Nelson was one of the original "Sourdoughs," a miner in the Yukon gold rush of 1898. His adventure in the north proved to be successful and he returned to Polk County with enough gold to purchase a farm in Milltown, Wisconsin
Milltown, Wisconsin
Milltown is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 888 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Milltown.-Geography:Milltown is located at ....
, where he worked throughout his life as a small scale dairy farmer. At the time of his 1936 campaign for Vice President of the United States, Nelson's farm consisted of 180 acre (0.7284348 km²), which supported 20 cows and produced various small crops.
Nelson eventually married and was the father of seven children — four boys and three girls. The children assisted in the operation of the family farm and no additional labor was employed. Nelson was active in the cooperative movement, which touted over 450 cooperative creameries during the decade of the 1930s.
Political career
Nelson joined the Social Democratic Party of America headed by Victor L. BergerVictor L. Berger
Victor Luitpold Berger was a founding member of the Socialist Party of America and an important and influential Socialist journalist who helped establish the so-called Sewer Socialist movement. The first Socialist elected to the U.S...
and Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
in 1899. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
and served as Speaker of the Assembly for the 1926 term.
Nelson was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin during the 1930s. He was a long-time leader of the American Society of Equity, a farmers' rights organization, serving as President of the Wisconsin Section from 1922 to 1931, and was active in the Farm Holiday Association, elected as a Vice President in 1936.
In 1934, Nelson was the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for Governor of Wisconsin
Governor of Wisconsin
The Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
, receiving over 50,000 votes in the race.
The 1936 Convention of the Socialist Party, held in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, named Nelson to the ticket as the party's Vice Presidential nominee. With party leader Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
from New 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 at ticket balancing
Ticket balance
In United States politics, balancing the ticket is when a political candidate chooses a running mate with the goal of bringing more widespread appeal to the campaign. It is most prominently used to describe the selection of the U.S. Vice Presidential candidate.There are several means by which the...
, 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 in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
to labor and farmer groups in early July before addressing an anticipated crowd of 25,000 at the Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
state picnic mid-month. The end of July saw Nelson making campaign stops in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, where he spoke on behalf of John Fisher, the Socialist Party's candidate for governor.
After the campaign stint in the Midwest, Nelson was hustled back east to the core of the Socialist Party's strength. He spoke in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in early August before making his way to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at a reception in his honor on August 13, 1936, in the club room of the Hotel Delano, where he shared the podium with Harry W. Laidler
Harry W. Laidler
Harry Wellington Laidler was an American socialist functionary, writer, magazine editor, and politician. He is best remembered as Executive Director of the League for Industrial Democracy, successor to the Intercollegiate Socialist Society, and for his close political association with perennial...
, Socialist candidate for Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
. At the New York event, Nelson declared that American farmers were "victims of the capitalist skin-game" and that the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
was ineffectual since "we can't regulate what we don't own." The end of August featured Nelson appearances in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Washington, DC, and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Nelson was a bitter opponent of the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act
Agricultural Adjustment Act
The Agricultural Adjustment Act was a United States federal law of the New Deal era which restricted agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies not to plant part of their land and to kill off excess livestock...
, 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!"
After his eastern jaunt, Nelson then returned home to Wisconsin to speak at the Wisconsin State Fair
Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August and lasts 11 days.-History:...
at Milwaukee 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 in Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
on August 30.
In September, Nelson was sent into the South, including campaign stops in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. October saw Nelson's return to the Midwest, where he spoke across the states of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana, and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
before heading for Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
The finale of the 1936 Socialist Party campaign took place on Sunday, November 1, 1936, when the party faithful gathered at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City to hear Thomas, Nelson, Laidler, black Congressional candidate Frank R. Crosswaith, and Milwaukee Mayor Daniel W. Hoan. Giant portraits of Norman Thomas and George Nelson flanked the stage, with a 40 feet (12.2 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.
In 1938, Nelson was the candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
The Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the order of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the 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.
Death and legacy
George Nelson died in 1962.Nelson was married and the father of four boys and three girls.
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."
Works
- The Farce of Farm Relief. With Carrie Eddie Sheffler. Chicago: Socialist Party of America, n.d. [c. 1934].
- Farmers: Where Are We Going? Chicago: Socialist Party of America, 1934.