Bill Nelson (politician)

Clarence William "Bill" Nelson (born September 29, 1942) is the junior U.S. Senator from Florida. He is a Democrat. Some experts and pundits initially considered Nelson to be a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry in the 2004 election.

As a young man, Nelson had served in the United States military as a reservist, with two years 0n active duty. He was also an attorney and a member of the state legislature. In 1978, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from 1979 until 1991, being reelected in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988.

In 1986, he became the second sitting Congressman to travel into space aboard STS-61C. In 1990 he was defeated in the Democratic primary for Governor of Florida by Lawton Chiles, who later won the election. Nelson did not run for reelection for his House seat, but served in various positions in the state government for several years. In his 2000 Senate race, he took advantage of the retirement of Republican incumbent Connie Mack and defeated his Republican opponent, Congressman Bill McCollum.

External links

• Official website (http://billnelson.senate.gov/)