He was born on 22 September 1876, the son of the publisher Thomas Nelson and his wife Jessie Kemp. The family lived in the house of their grandfather Thomas Nelson: Abden House on the south of Edinburgh, the grandfather having died in 1861. His father built a new house, St Leonards, in the grounds of Abden House and the family moved there on its completion in 1890. Nelson obtained an estate at Achnacloich, on the shore of Loch Etive near Oban. He spent a considerable part of each year there.
He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, where he became a rugby union player. He played for a combined Edinburgh Academy - Watsons College schoolboy side in January 1895. He then went to study Classics at Oxford University, where he befriended John Buchan. Nelson played rugby union for Oxford University, playing for them from 1896. He captained the side in 1900.
Provincial career
Nelson was named in the Anglo-Scots side to face South of Scotland District on 25 December 1897. The match was called off. He was originally named in the Provinces District side in December 1898, but his selection fell through. It was remarked that Nelson was not expected to turn out for the Provinces District in their match against Cities District on 14 January 1899.
International career
Nelson was capped for Scotland in 1898. He rivalled Allan Smith for a place in the international side. It was thought that Nelson would get a place at Centre in front of the Smith for the Ireland match as Smith was struggling for fitness. Smith started that match, but Nelson played alongside Smith at Centre for the match against England.
Publishing career
The John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps is dedicated to him. Nelson and Buchan had been friends since Nelson was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford. He became head of the family publishing firm of Thomas Nelson and Sons, which employed Buchan as literary advisor and was one of the writer's publishers. He was noted as a benevolent owner of the company. The publishing house had an athletics club and Nelson gave over a portion of his family estate so that the club could use it. The company was noted as a pioneer in looking after the health of its employees at the time; by employing an official to look after their health.
Nelson was killed on 9 April 1917 on the first day of the Battle of Arras in World War I He was killed by a stray shell. He had been on the front for 18 months. He is buried in Faubourg D'Amiens Cemetery, near Arras, grave reference VII.G.26, He is also memorialised on his parents grave in Grange Cemetery in south Edinburgh. The Hull Daily Mail headlined A Publishers Fortune detailing that Nelson of Achnacloich in Argyll left an estate of £470,782. £219,300 of that estate represented his holding in the publishing firm.
Family
In 1903 he was married to Margaret Balfour, daughter of the Liverpool merchant, Alexander Balfour. They had six children, including Alexander Ronan Nelson and Elisabeth Nelson, who married Lord Bryan Walter Guinness, then becoming Lady Moyne, Elizabeth Guinness. Following his death Margaret married Paul Lucien Maze, a Frenchman, and became known as Margaret Balfour Nelson Maze.
