Merle Nelson
American politician (born 1935)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merle Nelson (née Royte; born May 8, 1935) is an American politician and court mediator.
Merle Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Maine House of Representatives | |
| In office 1977–1986 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 8, 1935 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Leonard Nelson |
| Children | 3, including Judd Nelson |
| Alma mater | Lesley College (B.A.) Harvard University (M.A.) |
| Profession | Court mediator |
Early life and education
Nelson, of Jewish ancestry, was born and raised in Portland, Maine. She graduated from Deering High School in 1953. She earned a teaching degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She began teaching and earned a M.A. from Harvard University.[1]
Political career
A Democrat, she served five terms in the Maine House of Representatives from 1977 to 1986. In 1977, while a first-term legislator, Nelson testified to the Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor of the United States Congress on behalf of the Displaced Homemakers Act.[2] Nelson played a leading role in helping establish Seeds of Peace international summer camp in Otisfield, Maine.[3] In 2005, Governor John Baldacci nominated her to the board of trustees of the Maine Community College System.[4] The Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community's Merle Nelson Making a Difference award is named in her honor.[5]
Family
She is married to a fellow Harvard alumnus Leonard Nelson, a Portland-based corporate attorney. They live in Falmouth Foreside, Maine. One of their children, Judd Nelson (born 1959), is a well-known television and film actor.[3]
