Early Life and Entry into Politics- Al Gore was born on March 31, 1948, and is the son of former U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr. and Pauline Gore. Raised in Carthage, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. (Al Gore Biography, 2014). He received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969(Al Gore Biography, 2014.) After graduation, he volunteered for enlistment in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam (Al Gore Biography, 2014). Following his service in Vietnam he was an investigative reporter for the Nashville Tennessean 1971-1976 (Al Gore Biography, 2014). He attended Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Vanderbilt Law School and operated a small homebuilding business (Biography of Vice President Al Gore). In 1976 his local House of Representatives seat was up for election and in 1976 he won the election and became a Democrat to the Ninety-fifth Congress; reelected to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1977-January 3, 1985) (Biography of Vice President Al Gore).He chose not to seek reelection for his house seat in 1984 but rather run for election for the United States Senate in Tennessee which was elected to and served from 1985-1993(GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr., (1948 - ).
Family- Vice President Gore is married to the former Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Aitcheson. They have four children: Karenna (born August 6, 1973), Kristin (born June 5, 1977), Sarah (born January 7, 1979), and Albert III (born October 19, 1982). Vice President Gore owns a small farm near Carthage, and the family attends New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Carthage (Al Gore, 2007). Al Gore and his wife Tipper gore announced their separation in 2010 (Al Gore, 2007).
Presidential Attempt- Al Gore was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988; elected Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket headed by William Jefferson Clinton in 1992 and was inaugurated on January 20, 1993; reelected Vice President in 1996; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president in 2000 (GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr., (1948 - ). losing to George H.W Bush in a highly contested court case.
Environmental Activism & Texts- While in congress he sponsored legislation to create a "Superfund" for toxic waste cleanup, and to toughen the warnings on cigarette packs (a risky move for a representative from a big tobacco state) (ALBERT ARNOLD GORE, JR).He became the first member to speak on television from the House chamber. "I like to examine issues with finite answers," he commented. "That's where I'm most comfortable” (ALBERT ARNOLD GORE, JR). He is the author of the bestsellers Earth in the Balance, An Inconvenient Truth, The Assault on Reason, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, and most recently, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change (Al's Bio).He is the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary and is the co-recipient, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for "informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change" (Al's Bio). Al gore became involved and interested in environmental issues during his years in high school saying that “As I was entering high school, my mother was reading Silent Spring and the dinner table conversation was about pesticides and the environment [...] The year I graduated from college the momentum was building for Earth Day. After Vietnam, as I was entering divinity school, the Club of Rome report came out and the limit to growth was a main issue”( Gore, Albert Arnold, Jr, 1989). While in office as vice president he supported environmental initiatives such as the Kyoto protocol (Gore, Al, 1997) as well as other invectives to help reduce our carbon footprint and raise awareness for environmental issues.
Later Life- After his political career was over he became the co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management (Al's Bio).He is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and a member of Apple, Inc.'s board of directors (Al's Bio). Gore spends the majority of his time as chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit devoted to solving the climate crisis (Al's Bio).
Biographical Information-
Al Gore – Biographical
GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr.-Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress
Biography of Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore: Quick Biography- New York Times
Important Websites:
Al Gore’s Official Biography
Books by Al Gore
The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change
Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis
The Assault on Reason
An Inconvenient Truth
Earth in the Balance
Joined at the Heart
Below is a great Biography produced by the United States Senate that provides a detailed look at his life and political career.
gore_albert.pdf | |
File Size: | 161 kb |
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Works Cited
"ALBERT ARNOLD GORE, JR. 45th Vice President: 1993-2001." Senate.gov. United States Government, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
"Al Gore." Infoplease. Pearson Education,, 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"Al Gore Biography." Biography. A+E Networks, 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"Al's Bio." AlGore. Free Range Studios, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
"Biography of Vice President Al Gore." Clinton1.nara.gov. U.S. Government, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Gore, Al. "Remarks by Al Gore Climate Change Conf." Archive.org. N.p., 8 Dec. 1997. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Gore, Albert Arnold, Jr. Interview by E. J. Dionne. 14 June 1989.
"GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr., (1948 - )." Bioguide.congress. United States Congress, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"ALBERT ARNOLD GORE, JR. 45th Vice President: 1993-2001." Senate.gov. United States Government, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
"Al Gore." Infoplease. Pearson Education,, 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"Al Gore Biography." Biography. A+E Networks, 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"Al's Bio." AlGore. Free Range Studios, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
"Biography of Vice President Al Gore." Clinton1.nara.gov. U.S. Government, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Gore, Al. "Remarks by Al Gore Climate Change Conf." Archive.org. N.p., 8 Dec. 1997. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
Gore, Albert Arnold, Jr. Interview by E. J. Dionne. 14 June 1989.
"GORE, Albert Arnold, Jr., (1948 - )." Bioguide.congress. United States Congress, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.