Merle Nelson
Merle Nelson | |
|---|---|
| In office 1977–1986 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 8, 1935 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Residence | Portland, Maine Falmouth, Maine |
| Alma mater | Lesley College (B.A.) Harvard University (M.A.) |
| Profession | Court mediator |
Merle Nelson (née Royte) (born May 8, 1935) is an American politician and court mediator.
Early life and education[]
Nelson, who is Jewish, 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 Congresss 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 , 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]
References[]
- ^ "Merle Nelson". Portland Public Schools Promise. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "Displaced Homemakers Act, 1977: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Employment, Poverty, and Migratory Labor of the Committee on Human Resources, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session, on S. 418 ... September 12 and 13, 1977". U.S. Government Printing Office. 1977. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b Peck, Abraham J.; Peck, Jean M. (2007). Maine's Jewish Heritage. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-3457-8.
- ^ Maine State Legislature (122nd: 2004-2006), "Legislative History: Governor's Nomination: Merle Nelson of Falmouth nominated for appointment as member of the Board of Trustees, Maine Community College System (SP581)," https://digitalmaine.com/legishist122/2274
- ^ "Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community honors Mary Herman for public service". Bangor Daily News. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
 | This article about a Maine politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1935 births
- Living people
- Deering High School alumni
- Lesley University alumni
- Harvard University alumni
- Politicians from Portland, Maine
- People from Falmouth, Maine
- Women state legislators in Maine
- Jewish American state legislators in Maine
- Members of the Maine House of Representatives
- Maine Democrats
- Jewish women politicians
- Seeds of Peace
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American women
- Maine politician stubs