George William Nelson Sr.

1930-
An Atlantic City native, who served on the Atlantic City Police Department from 1958 to 1984, retiring at the rank of captain, his last assignment was Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police. He once commanded the City’s internationally reputed Major Crime Squad. Reflecting on his time with this unit, he authored two books, ‘Home Boy’ and ‘Living to Die’, each centered on high profile murder cases. Nelson achieved success as a boxer, he won the Pennsylvania State Diamond Belt and the Golden Gloves Championship as a light heavy weight in 1948, the same year he made an unsuccessful bid for the XIV Olympiad in London. After turning pro in 1952, he stopped Joe Rowan in the first round at Madison Square Garden on a historic boxing card that featured Billy Graham and Joey Giardello. As a member of the American Pool Players Association, he made it to the 8-ball playoffs in Roebling, New Jersey. Nelson attended the Atlantic City Technical High School and graduated from Atlantic Community College with honors in 1982 with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice.

Additional information:

George William Nelson graduated from Atlantic Community College in 1982. After his retirement from the police department, he worked at the security station in the lobby of City Hall.
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For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections:
Atlantic City Press, articles from March 22, 2009, and January 4, 2011