Gordon M. Nelson was an American stockbroker and political figure who served as chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee

Massachusetts Republican Party

The Massachusetts Republican Party is the Massachusetts branch of the United States Republican Party. Governance of the party takes the form of a State Committee which, in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, consists of one man and one woman from each of the 40 Senate Districts...

 from 1976 to 1980.

Nelson first became involved in politics in 1964 when he worked for Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater

Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...

's Presidential campaign. He was later a founder and executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of Young Americans for Freedom

Young Americans for Freedom

Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...

. He also formed Republicans for an Effective Grass Roots Organization (REGRO), a grassroots

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

 organization that sought to attract disenchanted Democrats to the Republican Party.

On May 19, 1976, Nelson was elected Chairman of the Republican State Committee. During his tenure as chairman, Republican enrollment decreased, Republican Senator Edward Brooke

Edward Brooke

Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...

 lost his re-election bid, and Republican Francis W. Hatch, Jr.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr.

Francis W. Hatch, Jr. is a former Massachusetts politician who was a member of the Board of Alderman in Beverly, Massachusetts from 1957–1963 and as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963–1979...

 lost the 1978 gubernatorial election

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1978

The 1978 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Massachusetts Port Authority executive director Edward J. King was elected to a four-year term, from January 4, 1979 until January 6, 1983...

. Nelson was criticized by his opponents for his partisan support of conservative Republicans and for his inability to smooth over differences within the party. On April 8, 1980 he was defeated by State Representative Andrew Natsios

Andrew Natsios

Andrew S. Natsios is an American civil servant who has served in a number of Massachusetts and high level federal government positions. From 2001 to 2005 he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was appointed as Special Coordinator for International Disaster...

.

Following his defeat, Nelson served as a Republican National Committeeman.