Bill Nelson

As a child growing up in Florida, Bill Nelson never imagined that one day he would be launched into space from a NASA site just miles from his grandfather's homestead* and then go on to serve the people of Florida in the U.S. Senate. As a fifth-generation Floridian, Nelson has spent thirty years proudly serving the people of his home state as a state legislator, congressman, state treasurer and insurance commissioner - and now as a U.S. Senator.


One of his most unforgettable experiences occurred back in 1986, when he spent six days on a NASA shuttle orbiting Earth. During his flight training and time in space, Nelson's eyes were opened not only to the importance of our nation's space program, but also to the beauty and fragility of planet Earth. Since this experience, Nelson has worked in the Senate to protect the environment by preventing oil drilling off US coastlines and restoring the Everglades, and he has been an outspoken advocate for space exploration. Nelson believes the future success of the space program depends on continued congressional support, fiscal responsibility, and the development of a long-range vision at NASA.


In Washington he has championed issues important to Floridians. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Nelson has kept alive the search for Navy Captain Michael Scott Speicher, a Florida native who went missing in Iraq twelve years ago during the Gulf War. On the Commerce Committee, Nelson addressed the growing annoyance of unsolicited electronic mail. He sponsored landmark legislation that would stop marketers from filling up citizens' e-mail accounts with unwanted and deceptive advertisements.


Bill Nelson has translated his mission in space and his roots in Florida into a seasoned career as an untiring public servant. Today as a U.S. Senator, Nelson is as dedicated as ever to the people of Florida and the issues they care about.


NOTE: This is Senator Nelson’s official biography as it appears on his U.S. Senate website, www.billnelson.senate.gov.



*Senator Nelson’s grandparents, Charles H. and Jane E. Nelson, received a patent to their 160-acre homestead claim in Brevard County, Florida on March 30, 1917. The site of the Nelson homestead is now just a few miles from the NASA launch facility at the John F. Kennedy Space Center