Difference between revisions of "Bill Nelson"
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| − | '''Clarence William "Bill" Nelson''' | + | '''Clarence William "Bill" Nelson''', born September 29, 1942 (age {{age|1942|9|29}}), is the senior [[United States]] [[Senator]] from [[Florida]], Nelson is a member of the [[Democratic Party]]. He is the the second sitting member of the [[United States Congress]] to fly in space when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist during NASA mission STS-61-C (January 12–18, 1986). |
==Education== | ==Education== | ||
Revision as of 21:22, March 23, 2009
| Bill Nelson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| U.S. Senator from Florida From: January 3, 2001 - Present | |||
| Predecessor | Connie Mack III | ||
| Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
| U.S. Representative from Florida's 11th Congressional District From: January 3, 1983 – January 5th, 1991 | |||
| Predecessor | Daniel A. Mica | ||
| Successor | Jim Bacchus | ||
| U.S. Representative from Florida's 9th Congressional District From: January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | |||
| Predecessor | Louis Frey | ||
| Successor | Michael Bilirakis | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Grace Cavert Nelson | ||
| Religion | Episcopalian | ||
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson, born September 29, 1942 (age 83), is the senior United States Senator from Florida, Nelson is a member of the Democratic Party. He is the the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist during NASA mission STS-61-C (January 12–18, 1986).
Education
Nelson was born in Miami to Nannie Merle and C. W. Nelson. He attended the University of Florida for three years, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, and then transferred to Yale University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1965 to 1971. During this time, Nelson studied at the University of Virginia, where he received his law degree in 1968.
Political career
Nelson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. He served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991. In 1990, Nelson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Florida. He lost to former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles. From 1995 to 2000, Nelson was the Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida. In 2000, Nelson won the election for U.S. Senator from Florida, defeating then-Representative Bill McCollum, the Republican candidate. The election was to replace retiring Republican Senator Connie Mack. In 2006 he was reelected to the Senate with 60% of the vote.
Political views
Bill Nelson is generally regarded as a moderate, and was among the few Democrats to vote in favor of CAFTA. He has also voted in favor of tighter bankruptcy restrictions and abolishing the estate tax. He also voted for the 2006 Military Commissions Act. However, he has voted against the Partial-birth abortion Ban Act and voted against a bill providing for criminal penalties for anyone harming an unborn child during the commission of a crime.
