George Wallace
George Wallace was a four-time governor of Alabama and a prominent leader in the South's fight against racial integration.
Governor
August 25, 1919
Virgo
September 13, 1998
79
Clio, Alabama
George Wallace, born on August 25, 1919, in Clio, Alabama, was an American Democratic politician who served as Alabama’s governor for four terms. He is primarily remembered for his strong opposition to racial integration and his implementation of segregationist policies during the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1968 presidential election, Wallace ran as a third-party candidate and secured 9.9 million votes, or approximately 14 percent of the total votes cast. He remains the most recent third-party candidate to win at least one state in a presidential election. Wallace was also associated with the American Independent Party and was shot and permanently injured during the 1972 presidential campaign, resulting in his reliance on a wheelchair for the rest of his life. A notable aspect of George Wallace’s career is his role as a four-time governor of Alabama, where he led the South’s resistance to federally mandated racial integration.