lawyer, teacher, politician, Congressman, b. Burke, Dane County. He graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin (B.A., 1892), taught school, served as county superintendent of schools for several years, and from 1894 to 1897 worked as a bookkeeper in the office of the secretary of state. Nelson graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin law department (LL.B., 1896), and was correspondent in the state treasurer's office (1898-1902). A Progressive Republican, he was elected to Congress in 1906 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Cullen Adams (q.v.), and was six times re-elected, serving from Sept., 1906, to Mar., 1919. Defeated for renomination in 1918, Nelson was successfully nominated and again elected in the campaign of 1920, and served from Mar., 1921, until Mar., 1933. After being defeated for renomination in 1932, he retired from active business and public life, returned to Madison, and made his home there until his death. Biog. Dir. Amer. Cong. (1950); E. B. Usher, Wis. (8 vols., Chicago, 1914); Madison Capital Times, Jan. 31, 1955.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the John Mandt Nelson Papers for details.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]