Former Sen. Nelson’s widow was ‘political wife on her own terms’
The widow of former U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, Carrie Lee Nelson, has died at 98.
Carrie Lee Nelson, 98, died Monday of congestive pulmonary disease at her home. She was preceded in death by her husband, a noted environmentalist who founded Earth Day.
Born into poverty in Virginia, Nelson was ninth of 10 children. Her siblings were split up after her father’s death, and she was raised in a Masonic children’s home in Richmond. She graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in 1945 and enlisted in the Army nurse corps for World War II.
While stationed in Pennsylvania, she met Gaylord Nelson. They dated for several weeks, but he got shipped out and they expected to never meet again. But in 1945 they were reunited in Okinawa.
After serving in the Army, the couple moved to Madison and married on Nov. 15, 1947. Gaylord was elected to the state Senate in 1948, as Wisconsin’s governor in 1958, and as a U.S. Senator in 1962.
Bill Christofferson, a family friend and Gaylord’s biographer, described Carrie Lee as not interested in politics, but she “became a political wife on her own terms and carved out a role that suited her,” adding “she was charming, irreverent, outrageous, profane at times, and often hilarious.”
Carrie Lee became famous for her dinner parties. Guests included politicians of both parties, journalists, lobbyists and diplomats. She cared for the needy, volunteering her nursing skills in Madison at Central Colony for the developmentally disabled.
She is survived by two sons, Gaylord A. Jr. (known as Happy) and Jeffrey; a daughter, Tia; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to your local homeless shelter or food bank, or any nonprofit providing services to the needy.