Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and as of 2024, the last Democrat to hold any statewide elected office in Nebraska.
Ben Nelson | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Nebraska | |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Kerrey |
| Succeeded by | Deb Fischer |
| 37th Governor of Nebraska | |
| In office January 9, 1991 – January 7, 1999 | |
| Lieutenant | Maxine Moul Kim Robak |
| Preceded by | Kay Orr |
| Succeeded by | Mike Johanns |
| Director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance | |
| In office 1975–1976 | |
| Governor | J. James Exon |
| Preceded by | James M. Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Berri Balka |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Earl Benjamin Nelson May 17, 1941 McCook, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Diane Nelson |
| Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA, MA, JD) |
Nelson was an insurance executive before he entered politics. His first run for office was in 1990, when he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Governor Kay Orr. He was reelected by a landslide in 1994. He ran for an open U.S. Senate seat in 1996, losing in an upset to Republican Chuck Hagel. He was elected to Nebraska's other Senate seat in 2000, and reelected in 2006. He did not run for a third term in 2012, and was succeeded by Republican Deb Fischer.
Nelson was one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, frequently voting against his party.