Wallace, George Corley (1919-1998), an American political leader, ran unsuccessfully for president in 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976. He was elected governor of Alabama four times, in 1962, 1970, 1974, and 1982. Wallace gained national attention in the early 1960’s for his strong support of states’ rights and his opposition to school integration.
Wallace was born on Aug. 25, 1919, in Clio, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1942. After serving three years in the Army Air Forces, he entered politics. A Democrat, he served in the Alabama Legislature from 1947 to 1953. Wallace served as a state judge from 1953 to 1958. He ran for governor in 1958 and lost. Four years later, he won.
Wallace opposed federal involvement in what he considered state problems, especially school integration. At his first inauguration as governor, he pledged: “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
Wallace denounced federal court orders to end school segregation. Opponents of integration applauded his “stand in the schoolhouse door” at the University of Alabama in 1963, in which he opposed the enrollment of two black students. Still, many Alabama schools became integrated during Wallace’s first term as governor.
Wallace’s wife, Lurleen, ran for governor in 1966 because at that time Alabama law prohibited Wallace from serving two terms in a row. But most people realized that he would continue to act as governor. Lurleen won the gubernatorial electionand worked to improve the state’s mental health programs. However, she died in office in 1968.
In 1968, the American Independent Party (later called the American Party) nominated George Wallace as their presidential candidate (see American Party ). He lost the election to Republican Richard M. Nixon and ran third behind Hubert H. Humphrey, the Democratic nominee. Wallace failed to achieve his goal of a deadlock in the Electoral College, which would have given him bargaining power to decide who became president. But he received almost 10 million votes, carried five states, and received 46 electoral votes. Wallace’s running mate was retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay. Some political observers believe that Wallace’s repeated national campaigns during his time as governor led him to neglect the need for meaningful reforms to Alabama’s economy and educational system.
In 1971, Wallace married Cornelia Ellis Snively, a niece of former Alabama Governor James E. Folsom. The couple divorced in 1978. In 1981, Wallace married Lisa Taylor, a country music singer. The marriage ended in divorce in 1987.
Wallace was the victim of an attempted assassination in May 1972, during his campaign for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. He was shot and seriously wounded in Laurel, Maryland. Arthur H. Bremer, a 21-year-old man from Milwaukee, was convicted of the shooting and sentenced to 53 years in prison. The shooting left Wallace’s legs paralyzed.
In a speech in 1978 and on later occasions, Wallace stated that his opposition to integration had been wrong, and he apologized for his actions. During the 1982 race for governor, Wallace pledged to help all needy Alabamians and received strong support from black voters. Wallace retired from politics in 1987. He died on Sept. 13, 1998.
