January 14, 1963 - George Wallace - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Segregationist George C. Wallace is sworn in as governor of Alabama. George Corley Wallace was born in Clio, Alabama in 1919 and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1942. Following a brief military stint, he found his legal work taking him into politics. Initially elected to the Alabama legislature and bench as a judge, the long-time Democrat was defeated in his race for governor in 1958. His opponent had the support of the Ku Klux Klan, an endorsement Wallace refused. But Wallace was so devastated by his defeat, that he quickly adopted the racist views of the majority. In the next race for governor, he promoted segregation and small government – and was sworn in on January 14, 1963 after garnering more votes than any previous governor in Alabama. In his inaugural speech, Wallace pledged “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Federal interference blocked Wallace from keeping the pledge, but he was elected four times as governor and ran the same number of times for U.S. president. Following an assassination attempt in 1972, he was paralyzed from the waist down. And yet, after many years in and out of politics – and after rescinding his segregationist stance with a public apology – Wallace was elected governor once again in 1982. He clinched the title thanks to majority support from the African American community. He died in September 1998.

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