George Wallace

George Wallace
Louis Fabian Bachrach Jr. · Public domain · source
Name	George Wallace
Caption	George Wallace in 1968
Order	45th Governor of Alabama
Term start	January 14, 1963
Term end	January 16, 1967
Lieutenant	James B. Allen
Predecessor	John Malcolm Patterson
Successor	Lurleen Wallace
Order2	49th Governor of Alabama
Term start2	January 18, 1971
Term end2	January 15, 1979
Lieutenant2	Jere Beasley
Predecessor2	Albert Brewer
Successor2	Fob James
Birth name	George Corley Wallace Jr.
Birth date	August 25, 1919
Birth place	Clio, Alabama, U.S.
Death date	September 13, 1998
Death place	Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Party	Democratic (until 1968; 1970–1998), American Independent Party (1968–1970)
Spouse	Lurleen Wallace (m. 1943; died 1968), Cornelia Wallace (m. 1971; div. 1978), Lisa Taylor (m. 1981; div. 1987)
Education	University of Alabama (LLB)
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Serviceyears	1942–1945
Rank	Staff sergeant
Unit	20th Air Force
Battles	World War II

George Wallace was an American politician who served as the 45th and 49th Governor of Alabama. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his staunch support of racial segregation in the American South during the mid-20th century. His defiant opposition to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement made him a polarizing national figure and a symbol of resistance to racial integration and federal authority.

Early life and political career

George Corley Wallace Jr. was born in Clio, Alabama, and served as a Staff sergeant in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He attended the University of Alabama School of Law and began his political career as an assistant Attorney General of Alabama. After serving in the Alabama House of Representatives, he was elected as a Circuit judge in 1953. Initially considered a moderate on racial issues, his defeat in the 1958 Alabama gubernatorial election by John Malcolm Patterson, who was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan, prompted a dramatic shift in his political strategy. Wallace famously vowed never to be "out-niggered" again, adopting a fiercely pro-segregationist platform for his successful 1962 gubernatorial campaign, where he promised "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

1963 "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door"

On June 11, 1963, Governor Wallace staged his most famous act of defiance against civil rights by physically blocking the entrance to Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. This event, known as the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door," was a symbolic attempt to prevent the enrollment of two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. Wallace stood in the doorway, citing the constitutional doctrine of states' rights and opposing what he called the "illegal usurpation of power" by the federal government. He only stepped aside after being confronted by Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and the federalized Alabama National Guard, acting on the orders of President John F. Kennedy. The event was a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings against segregation, such as Brown v. Board of Education.

Presidential campaigns

Wallace leveraged his national notoriety to run for President four times. In 1964, he entered several Democratic primaries, performing surprisingly well in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Maryland. His most significant campaign was in 1968, where he ran as the nominee of the American Independent Party. His platform centered on law and order, states' rights, and opposition to busing and federal civil rights legislation. He won five Southern states—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi—securing 46 electoral votes and nearly 14 million popular votes. He ran again in the 1972 Democratic primaries, winning several states before an assassination attempt ended his campaign.

Views on segregation and civil rights

Wallace's political identity was fundamentally defined by his defense of Jim Crow segregation. 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