Title: John Mandt Nelson Papers
Inclusive Dates: circa 1890-1977

Creator:

• Nelson, John Mandt, 1870-1955

Call Number: Wis Mss WK; PH 2814; PH 6047; PH 5-1558

Quantity: 4.8 cubic feet (12 archives boxes), 0.3 cubic feet of photographs (1 archives box and 1 folder), and 1 poster (1 oversize folder)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of John Mandt Nelson, a Progressive Republican congressman (1906-1919/1921-1933), consisting of constituent and personal correspondence (mainly 1928-1932); speeches and writings concerning religion, the Philippines, and political topics; minutes, notes, and material gathered on the House Rules Committee as part of the Insurgent revolt of 1908-1910; a lengthy biography by his daughter Grace Nelson; other biographical material; and photographs. Prominent correspondents include Louis Brandeis, Champ Clark, L.W. Claude, Thomas Alva Edison, William T. Evjue, James Frear, Zona Gale, Samuel Gompers, Ada James, Belle Case La Follette, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert M. La Follette Jr., Louis P. Lochner, Nicholas Longworth, Michael V. O'Shea, R.T. Rawleigh, Theodore Roosevelt, Edward A. Ross, and Edwin Witte.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000wk

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John Mandt Nelson, educator, lawyer, and politican, served as Progressive Republican congressman from Wisconsin's Third District for a quarter of a century. For many years he was regarded as the dean of the Wisconsin congressional delegation.

Nelson obtained his B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1892, after which he taught school for a number of years and served as superintendent of schools for Dane County. Between 1894 and 1897 he was a bookkeeper in the office of Secretary of State. During the same period he also studied law, receiving his degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1896. From 1898 to 1902 he acted as correspondent in the state treasurer's office.

In 1906 after the death of the incumbent congressman from the Third District (which at that time included Dane County), Nelson was elected to fill the vacancy. From that time until 1932 he was reelected to every Congress save one.

Nelson was a follower of Robert M. La Follette Sr., and a leader of the Progressive Republican or “insurgent” faction in Congress. In general, Nelson, along with other Progressives in Congress, voted with the Regular Republican majority in matters of organization, but independently when matters of conscience were involved. Nelson tended to support legislation favoring labor, woman suffrage, restriction of monopoly, liberalization of immigration, Philippine independence, and similar measures. He most notably broke with the party leadership in 1908-1910 when he led a fight to reform the rules of the House of Representatives, including a reduction in the powers of the speakership, at that time held by “Uncle Joe” Cannon. During the 1920s he was again involved in several attacks on restrictive rules.

Nelson's independent position worked to his political disadvantage in at least two cases. In 1917 he voted against entry into World War I. Nelson's political enemies sought to create an issue by accusing him of a lack of patriotism and his son Byron (who was in Canada at the time of the passage of the Selective Service Law) of draft-dodging. Although Nelson and his son were vindicated, he lost his bid for renomination in 1918. In 1924 Nelson managed La Follette's independent presidential campaign and was rewarded by the withdrawal of his patronage privileges for many years.

In 1932 Nelson lost his fight for renomination after the district was reshaped in conformance with Regular Republican wishes. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1933 to secure a position in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration Nelson retired from public and business life. He died on January 29, 1955.

The Nelson Papers consist chiefly of constituent correspondence, 1928-1933; speeches and writings; work files; biographical materials; and visual materials.

The CORRESPONDENCE, which is arranged chronologically by month, consists largely of letters from constituents in the Third District expressing views on pending legislation or seeking preferment for federal positions, appointment to Annapolis or West Point, or copies of various government publications. Nelson frequently responded to such requests with form letters. In 1986 the correspondence was weeded to remove all such routine letters.

The collection contains little correspondence with political colleagues or opponents or other persons of state or national prominence. However there are letters from Louis Brandeis, Champ Clark, L.W. Claude, Thomas Alva Edison, William T. Evjue, James Frear, Zona Gale, Samuel Gompers, Ada James, Belle Case La Follette, Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert M. La Follette Jr., Louis P. Lochner, Nicholas Longworth, Michael V. O'Shea, R.T. Rawleigh, Theodore Roosevelt, Edward A. Ross, and Edwin Witte. Some correspondence of a more official nature pertains to his work as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions. There are also miscellaneous letters pertaining to several of Nelson's election campaigns. Material pertaining to his work as manager of the 1924 La Follette campaign was apparently turned over to Basil Manly in 1925; as a result this collection contains only some rather routine material pertaining to literature distribution. There are also many letters of personal interest, primarily concerning research performed by Nelson's sister on the Philippine question, the care of his elderly mother, and the death of his son Robert in a Canadian train wreck.

SPEECHES AND WRITINGS includes notes and drafts of speeches on various political and religious topics, as well as a separate section of draft chapters and notes collected for an extended publication on the Philippines.

The WORK FILES include draft and annotated copies of bills considered by the Committee on Invalid Pensions, a history of the Rules Committee, and a commentary and minutes prepared by Nelson as part of the Insurgent group's offensive against the rules, 1908-1910. Other political material includes a segregated file of correspondence with William T. Evjue, minutes of the La Follette-Wheeler presidential campaign committee, lists of Dane County supporters, and a summary of Nelson's voting record.

BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS includes a lengthy biography prepared by his daughter Grace Nelson, who worked as his legislative assistant for many years; biographical clippings, campaign literature, and a “Commonplace book” or journal which Nelson kept in 1897.

VISUAL MATERIALS includes photographs, circa 1890-1950, of John Mandt Nelson. Images consist of portraits of Nelson and other family members and photographs of family residences. Of particular note are photographs of the train crash that killed son Robert Nelson in 1929, as well as small, commemorative albums made for Nelson by the family of son Byron in the 1950s. Photographs of Nelson at work include members of the Judiciary Committee and “Third Party Convention” with Robert “Bob” La Follette and Robert La Follette Jr. In addition, there is a campaign poster for John Mandt Nelson for Congress, 1918.

Photographs received with the papers are filed in the John M. Nelson Name File in the Visual Materials Archive.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Grace Nelson, Madison, Wisconsin, 1955-1978. Accession Number: M71-279, M74-609, M76-54, M78-216, and portions accessioned without numbers

Processing Information

Processed by Emily Al-Khazraji, 1964; by Karen J. Baumann, 1972; and by Carolyn J. Mattern, 1986.

Wis Mss WK	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	1906-1923
Box   1 Folder   2-5	1924-1926
Box   1 Folder   6	1927 January-April
Box   2 Folder   1	1927 May-December
Box   2 Folder   2-5	1928
Box   2 Folder   6	1929 January-March
Box   3 Folder   1-3	1929 April-December
Box   3 Folder   4-6	1930 January-March
Box   4	1930 March-November
Box   5 Folder   1-2	1930 December
Box   5 Folder   3-7	1931 January-March
Box   6	1931 April-December
Box   7	1932 January-March
Box   8	1932 April-July
Box   9 Folder   1-2	1932 September-December
Box   9 Folder   3	1933
Box   9 Folder   4	1934-1955
	Series: Speeches and Writings	⇧
Box   11 Folder   1-3	Philippine manuscript, drafts, notes, and manuscripts, undated
Box   11 Folder   4-5	Religious subjects, undated
Box   12 Folder   1-8	Political speeches and writings, 1897-1932
	Series: Work Files	⇧
Box   10 Folder   5	Invalid Pensions Committee, Bills and resolutions, undated
Box   10 Folder   6	La Follette-Wheeler Committee minutes, 1924
Box   10 Folder   7	Monroe post office, 1931
Box   10 Folder   8	Byron Nelson material, 1931-1967
Box   10 Folder   9	Comments on rules of the House, undated
Box   10 Folder   10	History of the Rules, minutes, notes, reminiscences, undated
Box   10 Folder   11	Voting record, 1909-1931
	Series: Biographical Materials	⇧
Box   9 Folder   5	A Daughter's Recollections, by Grace Nelson, 1977
Box   10 Folder   1	Memorabilia, undated
Box   10 Folder   2	Biographical clippings and campaign literature, 1907-1932
Box   10 Folder   3	“Commonplace Book,” 1897
Box   10 Folder   4	Dane County leader list, undated
	Series: Visual Materials	⇧
PH 6047	Photographs
	John M. Nelson
Box   1 Folder   1	Portraits
Box   1 Folder   2	At work
PH 2814	At work (continued)
PH 6047	Relatives
Box   1 Folder   3	Bryon Nelson
Box   1 Folder   4	Grace Lucille Nelson
Box   1 Folder   5	James J. Nelson, father of Justice Nelson
Box   1 Folder   6	Mrs. James J. Nelson
Box   1 Folder   7	Mrs. John M. Nelson
Box   1 Folder   8	Knute Nelson
Box   1 Folder   9	Laura Perry Nelson
Box   1 Folder   10	Ole Nelson
Box   1 Folder   11	Robert Nelson
Box   1 Folder   12	Death of Robert Nelson, 1929
	Residences
Box   1 Folder   13	Nelson homestead
Box   1 Folder   14	Torgerson family and farm
	Posters
PH 5-1558	Campaign poster for John Mandt Nelson for Congress, 1918