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• George Wallace was the Democratic governor of Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Wallace was elected into office four times and served as governor for a combined 16 years. He also ran for President four times in 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976.

  Wallace was elected on a segregationist platform and declared in 1963 that he supported "segregation now, segregation forever." In the 1970s, Wallace became a born-again Christian and sought forgiveness from the African American community for his past stance on segregation.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: April 25, 1919 in Clio, Alabama
  2. Political party: Democratic
  3. In office: 1963-1967, 1971-1979 and 1983-1987
  4. Ran for president as the American Independent Party candidate in 1968
  5. Died: September 13, 1998 in Montgomery, Alabama

• Assassination Attempt

  Following a rally in May of 1972, Arthur Bremer shot Wallace four times in an assassination attempt. Wallace survived, but one of the bullets became lodged in his spinal cord, paralyzing him.

  In 1995 Wallace wrote the imprisoned Bremer a letter, part of which read: "Dear Arthur, your shooting me in 1972 caused me a lot of discomfort and pain. I am a born-again Christian. I love you. I have asked our Heavenly Father to touch your heart, and I hope that you will ask him for forgiveness of your sin so you can go to heaven like I am going to heaven. I hope that we can get to know each other better. We have heard of each other a long time."

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