John Lee Franson, a Wisconsin conservationist and National Audubon Society representative, was born on August 17, 1937 in Melrose Park, Illinois. Details of Franson's early life are sketchy, but it is known that he attended Wisconsin State Colleges at Oshkosh and Stevens Point, and was employed by the Soo Line Railroad in the Fond du Lac area.
Franson's concern for conservation began early in life. He was a member and officer of the West Shore Rod and Gun Club of Fond du Lac, which was one of the groups that helped form the Fond du Lac County Conservation Alliance (FCCA) in 1961. Franson became a leader of the FCCA, and at various times served as its president, secretary, and legislative chairman. He helped coordinate the FCCA's effort for preservation of Supple Marsh, support of the Outdoor Recreational Act Program (ORAP), and other conservation causes of concern to the Fond du Lac area. Franson was also the FCCA's representative to the Wisconsin Resource Conservation Council, and served as a director and secretary-treasurer of this organization in 1965-1966.
While still at the FCCA, Franson became a resource editor for the Badger Sportsmen, a Wisconsin conservation newspaper, and in this capacity authored and solicited many articles for the paper. He also served as a director of the Wisconsin Federation of Conservation Clubs in 1962-1963 and as chairman pro tem on the Sixth District Advisory Committee to the National Rivers and Harbors Congress between 1965 and 1967.
In 1968 Franson accepted a position as the National Audubon Society's Central Midwest representative headquartered in Owensboro, Kentucky. His duties included coordinating local conservation efforts in the region's five state area of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, and acting as the voice of the region in national conservation issues. Franson was transferred to the National Audubon Society's Southwest Regional Office in Austin, Texas in 1974 to assume similar duties for the states of Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. He served in this capacity until his death in Austin on July 16, 1977.
