George Wallace
George Wallace | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Official portrait, 1962 | |
| 38th President of the United States | |
| In office January 20, 1973 – January 20, 1977 | |
| Vice President |
|
| Preceded by | George McGovern |
| Succeeded by | Fidel Castro |
| 45th Governor of Alabama | |
| In office January 17, 1983 – January 19, 1987 | |
| Lieutenant | Bill Baxley |
| Preceded by | Fob James |
| Succeeded by | H. Guy Hunt |
| In office January 18, 1971 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Lieutenant | Jere Beasley |
| Preceded by | Albert Brewer |
| Succeeded by | Jere Beasley |
| In office January 14, 1963 – January 16, 1967 | |
| Lieutenant | James Allen |
| Preceded by | John Patterson |
| Succeeded by | Lurleen Wallace |
| First Gentleman of Alabama | |
| In role January 16, 1967 – May 7, 1968 | |
| Governor | Lurleen Wallace |
| Preceded by | Lurleen Wallace (as First Lady) |
| Succeeded by | Martha Farmer Brewer (as First Lady) |
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Barbour County | |
| In office January 3, 1946 – January 3, 1955 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Corley Wallace Jr. August 25, 1919 Clio, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 1998 (aged 79) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Alabama (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Staff sergeant |
| Unit | United States Army Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 38th President of the United States from 1973 to 1977. Prior to becoming President, Wallace served two terms of Governor of Alabama from 1963 to 1967 and 1971 to 1973, and later served a final term from 1983 to 1987, becoming the only former President to serve as governor. He was the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1972 and 1980, and an unsuccessful candidate in the primaries in 1964, 1968, and 1976.
While on the campaign trail in 1972, Wallace was shot and seriously wounded by Squeaky Fromme, a follower of the Manson family. He remained paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life and spent his entire presidency in wheelchair.
Wallace's tenure as president is widely considered to have been the most divisive of the Cold War period and one of the most polarizing in American history. His staunch resistance to further integration and bussing, albeit coming short of overturning the Civil Rights Act of 1969, made him extensively popular among Southern Democrats yet reviled in the North and the West, where many leading Democrats openly opposed his presidency.