Albert Arnold Gore Jr. was the 45th Vice President of the Unites States of America from 1993 to 2001. He also served in the U. S. House of Representatives (1977–85) and the U. S. Senate (1985–93). In 2000, he contested as a Democratic nominee for the presidential election, but suffered defeat against the Republican candidate George W. Bush. He is also a leading environmental activist, who was awarded the ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ in 2007, for his efforts and endeavors for disseminating information regarding the hazardous concept of global warming.
Al Gore was born as Albert Arnold Gore Jr. on March 31 1948, in Washington D.C. His father, Albert Gore Sr., was a U.S. Representative and a Senator from Tennessee and his mother was Pauline LaFon Gore, one of the first women to graduate from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Al Gore married Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson in 1970. The couple has four children – Karenna (born 1973), Kristin (born 1977), Sarah (born 1979) and Albert III (born 1982). Their two grandchildren are named Wyatt and Anna.
On August 7, 1969, Gore enlisted in the United States Army. He served as a military journalist and wrote for ‘The Army Flier’, the base newspaper at Fort Rucker. After seven months, he went to Vietnam (1971). Once home from Vietnam, Gore attended journalism and divinity school at Vanderbilt University, from 1971 to 1972. As a student, he worked as a part-time reporter for ‘The Tennessean’ and continued his journalism career for a period of 5 years. He attended Law School at Vanderbilt, from 1974 to 76, but called it quits in 1976, when he decided to run a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Al Gore’s political career started at the age of twenty-eight, when he was elected to his first Congressional post. Later, he was re-elected to the House four times (from 1977 to 1985). He also held office as a Senator from Tennessee until 1993. In 1987, at the age of 39, he became one of the youngest candidates to seek a presidential nomination in U.S. history. In the summer of 1992, Bill Clinton chose Al Gore to be his running mate for the 1992 U.S presidential election. He competed in the vice-presidential campaign against Republican candidate George Bush and won with 43 percent of the vote.
In 1996, Clinton and Gore were re-elected to a second term in the 1996 election. In 2000, Gore contested as a Democratic nominee for the presidential election against the Republican candidate George W. Bush, with Bush winning the presidential seat this time. After losing the presidential race, Gore began his campaign on behalf of the environment.
With the help of his lectures, writings and a documentary film, he tried to inform people about the dangers of global warming. His message was forwarded to a large audience through his film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ (2006), which even received an Academy Award for best documentary. In 2007, he won the prestigious ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ for his contributions towards various environmental developments.
Jaime Apolinário 11º A
