Born in Sweden in 1889, William Aberg grew up in Washburn County, Wisconsin, and attended Shell Lake High School. For two years he worked for a mining company in Hibbing, Minnesota, in order to support his family. He subsequently entered the University of Wisconsin, receiving a B.A. in 1911 and a law degree in 1913. During World War I Aberg was a special assistant for the War Trade board in Sweden. In 1919 he joined the law firm Sanborn and Blake in Madison in which he had clerked as a student.
Aberg became active in the conservation movement in the early 1920's. In 1923 he was one of the first members of the Izaac Walton League in Wisconsin. He also served as president of the Madison chapter, 1925-1926; president of the state division, 1928-1929; and a member of the national league's executive board from 1930 to 1939.
As a pioneer conservationist in Wisconsin, Aberg's primary interest was in matters relating to conservation legislation. His major contribution to the field during this period was participation with Aldo Leopold and other members of the Izaac Walton League in the drafting of two important pieces of legislation which affected the course of Wisconsin's early efforts in conservation: the Conservation Act of 1927, which created the Wisconsin State Conservation Commission and its form of resource management, and the Forest Crop Law, also passed in 1927.
In 1939 Aberg was appointed to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission. He subsequently served twelve years on the commission, and for the period 1941-1942 and 1943-1946 he served as chairman. During his tenure on the commission Aberg played a major role in guiding conservation legislation. He was instrumental in the restoration of Horicon Marsh as a wildlife area and in the establishment of several national forest areas in the state. He also participated in the drafting and passage of numerous laws relating to forests, enforcement and penalties, commercial fishing regulations, and conservation education.
After his retirement from the Conservation Commission in 1951, Aberg remained active in the Izaak Walton League, serving in the position of national director. He was also a founder and director of the National Wildlife Federation. Aberg died on March 18, 1968.
