Governor George Wallace

Governor George Wallace
source
Name	George Wallace
Office	45th Governor of Alabama
Term start	January 14, 1963
Term end	January 16, 1967
Predecessor	John Malcolm Patterson
Successor	Lurleen Wallace
Party	Democratic

Governor George Wallace was a prominent American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Alabama from 1963 to 1967, and again from 1971 to 1975, and from 1983 to 1987. He is known for his outspoken opposition to Desegregation and his support of States' rights, which often put him at odds with the federal government and Civil Rights Movement leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Wallace's political career was marked by his Democratic National Convention appearances, including his notable speech at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and his runs for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, and 1976. He was also a key figure in the Southern Dixiecrat movement, which included politicians like Strom Thurmond and Huey Long.

● Early Life and Education

George Wallace was born on August 25, 1919, in Clio, Alabama, to Moses George Wallace and Mozelle Smith. He grew up in a Methodist family and was educated at Barbour County Schools and later at the University of Alabama, where he studied Law and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. During his time at the University of Alabama School of Law, Wallace was influenced by professors like Hugo Black, who would later become a Supreme Court Justice. After graduating, Wallace served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, flying combat missions in the Pacific Theater of Operations alongside other notable figures like George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur.

● Political Career

Wallace's entry into politics began in 1946, when he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives as a Democrat. He later served in the Alabama State Senate and as a Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama. In 1958, Wallace ran for Governor of Alabama but lost to John Malcolm Patterson, who was supported by the Ku Klux Klan. However, Wallace's campaign was notable for his refusal to accept support from the Klan, which put him at odds with other Southern Democrats like Bull Connor and Theophilus Eugene Connor. Wallace's early political career was also influenced by his relationships with other politicians, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

● Governorship of Alabama

In 1962, Wallace was elected Governor of Alabama, running on a platform of States' rights and opposition to Desegregation. During his first term, he famously stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama to block the entry of African American students Vivian Malone and James Hood, who were attempting to integrate the university. This event sparked a confrontation with Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Wallace's actions were widely criticized by Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, but were supported by many White Southerners who saw him as a champion of States' rights and Traditional values.

● Presidential Campaigns

Wallace ran for President of the United States three times, in 1968, 1972, and 1976. His 1968 campaign was notable for his American Independent Party candidacy, which won him five Southern states and 46 Electoral College votes. Wallace's presidential campaigns were marked by his populist rhetoric and his appeals to White working-class voters, who felt disillusioned with the Democratic Party and its support for Civil Rights and Social welfare programs. Wallace's campaigns were also influenced by his relationships with other politicians, including Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, and Pat Buchanan.

● Later Life and Legacy

In 1972, Wallace was shot and paralyzed by Arthur Bremer while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Maryland. After the shooting, Wallace underwent a significant transformation, renouncing his Segregationist views and seeking Reconciliation with African American leaders like Martin Luther King III and Jesse Jackson. Wallace was re-elected as Governor of Alabama in 1982, and during his final term, he worked to improve Race relations in the state and to promote Economic development in the Rural South. Today, Wallace's legacy is complex and contested, with some viewing him as a Civil Rights villain and others seeing him as a Populist champion of the Common man. Despite his flaws and contradictions, Wallace remains an important figure in American history, and his story continues to be studied by scholars and Historians like Taylor Branch, Diane McWhorter, and Dan T. Carter. Category:American politicians