Oley Nelson (newspaper article)

NELSON

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 10/11/2008 at 21:58:06

AMES DAILY TRIBUNE AND TIMES, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Saturday, November 2, 1935.

Oley Nelson of Slater and Ray Murphy Give Iowa Corner Again on Leadership of Grand Army of Republic and American Legion

by GEORGE MILLS

DES MOINES (Iowa Daily Press Bureau) - Iowa has a one-year corner on the leadership of two great veterans' organizations in the persons of Oley Nelson of Slater, national commander of the G. A. R., and Ray Murphy of Ida Grove, national commander of the American Legion.

Only once before in history were the national commanders of the two groups from the same state, and Iowa happened to be the home of the elect of the "flghtin' men" in that year also. Back In 1921 Judge J. W. Willett of Tama was national commander of the G. A R. and Hanford McNider of Mason City headed the American Legion.

Ordinarily a soldier's stories get to be pretty good by the time he celebrates his ninety-first birthday. Not so with Oley Nelson. A member of the student "University regiment" of Wisconsin in the Civil war, Oley tells of being engaged but once in his war career and then only in a skirmish. General Forrest, rebel raider, had sacked Memphis, and Nelson's regiment, the fortieth Wisconsin infantry, was called upon to drive out the Confederates. This they did with little difficulty.

But if bullets did not get Nelson, disease nearly did. In 1864 he was discharged to go home "and die in mother's arms." Jaundice, dysentery and malaria combined to put him close to the brink.

Now, in his twenty-second year beyond the alloted "three score and ten," the once nearly dead man is unusually active in his Q.A.R. post.

As the most prominent "old man" in the state, Nelson has little use for the Townsend plan and its $200 a month pensions.

"It will take away all incentive to save a dollar," the Civil war veteran declared. "What kind of lives will my grandchildren live if they know they will get $200 a month when they get to be 60?"

The G. A. R. commander was born Aug. 10, 1844 in Rock county, Wisconsin. It was 1867 before he and his mother came to Story county, Iowa, in a covered wagon. His father, also a Union soldier in the Civil war, died in 1863 of disease incurred in his two years of campaigning. Father Nelson, incidentally, is buried in the national cemetery at Keokuk.

It was as a banker, merchant and grain man at Sheldahl and Slater, Ia., that Oley Nelson became prominent. He continued, active in the banking business from 1875 to 1932 when his bank closed.

As a member of the twenty-first and twenty-second general assemblies, 50 years ago, he had as his pet project the establishment of an Iowa soldiers home, which is located at Marshalltown. He wanted the home built so that his mother would be taken care of if the need ever arose.

Not the least of his activities had to do with church work. Nelson is the only surviver of nine men who met in St. Paul in 1890 to found the United Norwegian Church of America. He also was president of the St. Olaf collge corporation at Northfield, Minn., for 12 years.

Pick out a riocking chair and retire when you are over 90? Not Oley Nelson. Despite his age, he again served as sergeant-at-arms of teh house in the forty-sixth Iowa general assembly. For seven sessions, since 1923, he has filled the post. Many a time in the last session was the houjse debate broken by a loud voice saying,

"Misss-terrr Spea-ker!!"

"Mr. Sergeant-at-arms."

"Messag ...from the senate."

Whereupon the suddenly hushed house would of necessity have to pay attention while the youthful senate minion read his message with the veteran leaning on a cane at the boy's side.

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