George Wallace
| George Wallace | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| 45th Governor of Alabama From: January 14, 1963 - January 16, 1967 | |||
| Predecessor | John Malcolm Patterson | ||
| Successor | Lurleen Wallace | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Lurleen Wallace, Cornelia Ellis Snively, Lisa Taylor | ||
| Religion | Methodist | ||
George Wallace (August 25, 1919 - September 13, 1998) was a pro-segregationist governor of Alabama. He obtained national attention by "standing in the schoolhouse door" in a vsymbolic bid to halt the desegregation of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States four times, three times seeking the Democrat nomination, (1964, 1972, 1976), and once running as an Independent, the nominee of his own American Independent Party (1968). He carried blue collar white Southerners and rural white Southerners in the United States presidential election, 1968, but his appeal to blue collar northern Democrats was blunted by labor unions, who vehemently attacked him as a dangerous and reckless demagogue.
Early life and career
Wallace was born in Clio in Barbour County in south Alabama, on August 25, 1919.[1]
In his first campaign for governor in 1958, he ran as a moderate Democrat, with support from the NAACP, and lost badly to John Malcolm Patterson.
Realizing that a moderate Democrat had little chance to win in Alabama at the time, he became an ardent supporter of segregation, with the vow, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”[2]; four years later with his hardline stance, he won. However, Alabama for years elected two moderate-to-liberal Democratic Senator, John Sparkman and Lister Hill.
Later life
An assassination attempt in 1972 by Arthur Bremer left him partially disabled. In the late 1970s Wallace became a born-again Christian, renouncing his segregationist policies and apologizing for his past. After his change, he became popular within the African American community, a position of closeness that he would retain until his death.
Media Rehabilitation
In 1991, Wallace asked the question "The media has rehabilitated Johnson, why won't it rehabilitate me?",[3] in reference to how the liberal media overlook the past positions of Lyndon B. Johnson. After Wallace's passing, the media have indeed rehabilitated him, though likely not in the way he hoped they would. It is not uncommon for dishonest liberal media journalists and others to insinuate[4][5] or outright claim[6][7][8][9] that Wallace was a "Republican", even though he was always a lifelong Democrat.[10][11] Wallace's son, George Wallace, III, did switch to Republican affiliation in later years.
Quotes
- "I don't support white supremacy, I'm the one who made them take 'white supremacy' off the roster that was the symbol of the Democratic Party in this state. I did nothing worse than Lyndon Johnson. He was for segregation when he thought he had to be. I was for segregation, and I was wrong. The media has rehabilitated Johnson, why won't it rehabilitate me?"[3]
Further reading
- Lesher, Stephan. George Wallace: American Populist. (1994). 587 pp.
- Time. "Wallace's Army: The Coalition Of Frustration," Time Oct 18, 1968
See also
- Orval Faubus
- Government by Journalism
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Lester Maddox
- Scottsboro case
- Lurleen Wallace
- Tim Walz
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History
- ↑ https://www.nysun.com/editorials/bidens-way-off-base-on-trump-and-george-wallace/90787/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Rehabilitation of George Wallace, Washington Post
- ↑ Salon Photo Implies That George Wallace Was a Republican
- ↑ New York Times Sunday Front Page Likens Trump to Fellow 'Demagogues' McCarthy, Wallace, Pat Buchanan
- ↑ Politico Mag Implies George Wallace Was GOP, Blames Country's Divisions Entirely on Whites' Resistance to Civil Rights
- ↑ MSNBC: Gov. George Wallace Was a Republican
- ↑ Chris Hayes Apologizes for Tagging George Wallace As Republican: A ‘Stupid, Inexcusable, Historically Illiterate Mistake’, Newsbusters
- ↑ The Hill Calls Lifelong Democrat Segregationist George Wallace a Republican in Piece About Donald Trump, Breitbart.com
- ↑ GEORGE WALLACE DEAD, 79 ALA.'S EX-GOV WAS ICON OF SEGREGATIONIST 1960S
- ↑ His son, also named George Wallace, did switch parties during his father's lifetime; the media capitalizes on this little known fact and the name confusion to promote their claims.