Biography
American politician, an attractive member for the Democratic Party with a famous
political name, a solid family life, and strong religious conviction. He is the only
son of a powerful U.S. Senator from Tennessee, Albert Gore, Sr. and Pauline LaFon
Gore, a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School who campaigned as a helpmate with her
husband. Al grew up with political and social awareness and great admiration for his
parents. He received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in
1969. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Gore met Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson, nicknamed "Tipper," at his high school senior
prom. They dated while he was in Harvard and she was working on her psychology degree
from Boston University. They married on May 19, 1970, at the National Cathedral in
Washington, DC, before he shipped out for Vietnam.
Returning to civilian life, Gore settled in Tennessee and attended Divinity School
while working nights as a newspaper reporter in Nashville. He and Tipper bought their
farm in Carthage, TN in 1973, the same year their first child was born. He had
experience as an investigative reporter, home builder and land developer, livestock
and tobacco farmer. Gore went into politics in 1976 when he was elected to represent
Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in
1984, and when re-elected in 1990, he became the first statewide candidate in modern
history to carry all 95 Tennessee counties. Liberal on domestic issues, moderate on
defense, he pursued the family political dream as established by his dad, serving
four terms in Congress and eight years in the Senate. Making a run for the oval
office in 1988, he won Democratic primaries and caucuses in seven states.
The Gore family increased with the addition of four kids, Karenna, born on
August 6, 1973, Kristin, June 5, 1977, Sarah, January 7, 1979, and Albert III,
October 19, 1982. Despite the joys of his beautiful family, Gore had some
tough times. In 1984, his only sibling, Nancy, 10 years his senior, died of
lung cancer. Five years later, in April 1989, Gore took his six-year-old son to
watch a baseball game. The boy ran into traffic and was hit by a car and thrown
30 feet, suffering massive internal injuries. His legs and ribs were broken and
his internal organs crushed. For a harrowing month, Al and Tipper barely left
their son's hospital bedside and one of them slept beside him for the next three
months. His recovery took months of extensive surgery and therapy. With family
counseling, they learned to put more emphasis on partnership and teamwork. Gore
had to deal with his feelings that he should have been better able to protect his
son. Having had just recently failed his 1988 presidential nomination, he had to
reevaluate his political directions as well as what his family meant to him. He
decided against another political run in 1992, pulling away from public life to put
more time into the strength and solidarity of his family. During his son's recovery,
Gore wrote his best-selling book, "Earth in the Balance."
The Gores go to church on Sunday, and in the evenings all get together for a group
dialogue to "get their needs out on the table." Together with Tipper, Al Gore remains
one of the strongest voices for America's families and their campaign policy put a
stronger emphasis on fatherhood, increased flexibility for parents in the workplace
and gave parents more control over the information that comes into their home.
Named as Bill Clinton's running mate at the Democratic convention July 13, 1992,
he was elected in the November contest and sworn in January 20, 1993, 11:44:40 AM EST,
Washington, DC. The pair were re-elected to a second term in 1996 and sworn in on
January 20, 1997. Together, they led the country into a period of sustained economic
growth marked by new jobs and the lowest combined rate of unemployment, inflation
and mortgage rates in 28 years.
On December 5, 1998, his influential father and role model died with Gore holding
his dad's hand. Al Gore Sr. reportedly made these words his last: "Always do right."
In mid-March 1999, Gore once more hit the campaign trail, stumping for the presidential
nomination in Iowa. On March 7, 2000, he defeated his opponent in the primaries,
Bill Bradley, to become the Democratic candidate for president, running against
Republican George W. Bush.
Al Gore accepted his Party's nomination at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles
on August 16, 2000 at 7:14 PM PDT. Elections were held on November 7, 2000, leading to
one of the most dramatic and confusing contests ever witnessed. When the issue of uncounted
ballots finally went to the Supreme Court, the conclusion was upheld that Bush was the
winner by a number of several hundred votes.
On December 13, 2000, Al Gore made a gracious and stirring speech of concession to
George W. Bush. At the time that Bush was sworn in as President, January 20, 2001,
the New Yorker magazine quoted the Associated Press that the Florida vote count numbered
well over a half million more for Gore than for Bush.
In January 2001, Gore began teaching a journalism class at Columbia University in
New York city and writing a book while he decided whether or not to continue a career
in politics. He became president of a TV station, joined the Board of Directors of
Apple Computer, advised Google's management team, and made public appearances. Though
deeply concerned about the future of the U.S., Gore declared on December 15, 2002
that he was not a candidate in the 2004 presidential race. His mother died in her
sleep on December 15, 2004 at her home in Carthage, TN. She was 92 and had been in
ill health from a prior stroke and heart attack.
In 2006, he won kudos for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." The film,
Gore's most recent effort to awaken the public to environmental issues, aired
at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006 to rave reviews and opened in
national theaters May 24, 2006. His book by the same name was released as well.
In view of the attention his film and book are receiving, news analysts have
begun to speculate on whether Gore would consider running again for President
and on whether he could gain the Democratic Party's support. Gore himself has
said that he does not intend to run, that he will continue instead to bring
attention in other ways to causes he cares about, but has subtly left the
door open to consider his political options.
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