Bill nelson senator biography

A member of the Democratic Party , Nelson served from to as a U. Nelson retired from Congress in to run for governor of Florida , but was unsuccessful. In , Nelson was elected to the U. Nelson ran in for a fourth term, but narrowly lost to then-Governor Rick Scott. In the U. Senate, Nelson was generally considered a centrist and a moderate Democrat.

Bill nelson age

Nelson attended Baptist and Episcopal churches, but later was baptized through immersion in a Baptist church. Nelson received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science from Yale University in and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia in He served on active duty from to , attaining the rank of Captain , and he remained in the Army until Nelson was admitted to the Florida Bar in , and began practicing law in Melbourne in In , he worked as legislative assistant to Governor Reubin Askew.

In , Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress and the first member of the House to travel into space. This mission was the last successful Space Shuttle flight before the Challenger accident , which occurred ten days after this mission ended. In , Nelson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as the member from the 47th district, representing much of Brevard County and portions of Orange County and Seminole County.

Nelson was elected to the U. House of Representatives in in the open 9th congressional district after the five-term Republican incumbent, Louis Frey Jr.