Al Gore Fast Facts

Here is a look at the life of Al Gore, 45th vice president of the United States and environmental activist.

Personal

Birth date: March 31, 1948

Birth place: Washington, DC

Birth name: Albert Arnold Gore Jr.

Father: Albert Gore Sr., former US senator from Tennessee

Mother: Pauline (La Fon) Gore

Marriage: Mary Elizabeth “Tipper” (Aitcheson) Gore (May 19, 1970-present, separated June 2010)

Children: Albert III, Sarah, Kristin, Karenna

Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1969; Vanderbilt University, Graduate School of Religion 1971-1972; Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1976

Military service: US Army, 1969-1971, served in Vietnam as a reporter with the 20th Engineering Battalion.

Religion: Baptist

Other Facts

Wrote his 1969 Harvard thesis on how television would impact the conduct of the American Presidency.

In 2009, former President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea to negotiate the release of two journalists working for Gore’s Current TV.

Timeline

1971-1976 – Is an investigative reporter and editorial writer for the Nashville Tennessean.

1977-1985 – US Representative in the 95th-98th Congresses, representing first the 4th and then the 6th District of Tennessee. Elected to the House in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982.

1985-1992 – US Senator from Tennessee.

1988 – Runs for the Democratic Party nomination for president in the 1988 election. Later drops out of the race.

July 9, 1992 – Bill Clinton chooses Gore to be his running mate in the 1992 presidential election.

1992 – Publishes “Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit.”

January 20, 1993 – Inaugurated as vice president.

January 20, 1997 – Second term as vice president begins.

March 9, 1999 – Gore states in an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, “During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country’s economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.” This quote creates a large amount of rhetoric with his opponents.

June 16, 1999 – Announces his intention to run for president in the 2000 election.

August 16, 2000 – Wins the Democratic Party nomination.

November 7, 2000 – Election Day.

November 8, 2000 – Concedes in the early morning to George W. Bush but later retracts his concession. Florida is too close to call for either Bush or Gore.

November 9, 2000 – Requests a recount in Florida.

December 13, 2000 – Concedes the election to Bush after the US Supreme Court rules that another recount in Florida would be unconstitutional, 36 days after the election.

2002 – Publishes “Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family,” with Tipper Gore.

March 19, 2003 – Joins the board of directors for Apple Computers Inc.

May 4, 2004 – Announces intention to purchase Newsworld International from Vivendi Universal SA for an undisclosed price and plans to transform it into a network aimed at viewers ages 18-35.

August 1, 2005 – Gore’s cable television channel, Current TV, debuts.

2006 – His crusade against global warming is featured in the book “An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do about It “ and documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

May 2007 – Publishes “The Assault on Reason.”

February 9, 2007 – Joins Sir Richard Branson at a press conference announcing the $25 million Virgin Earth Challenge, a prize for a design to safely remove man-made greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Gore and Branson are among the judges.

February 15, 2007 – Announces a series of concerts called Live Earth to be held on all seven continents on July 7, 2007. The 24-hour music event is the kickoff of a campaign to “Save Our Selves (SOS).”

February 25, 2007 – “An Inconvenient Truth” wins an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

March 21, 2007 – Testifies at separate House and Senate events, urging legislation to curb climate change.

October 12, 2007 – Is co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for work on global warming. The prize is shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

October 26, 2007 – Receives the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation.

November 12, 2007 – Announces he is joining the venture capital firm of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers. He will help the company invest in start-up “green” companies. Gore will also donate his salary to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

November 2007 – Receives the International Emmy Founders Award at the 35th International Emmy Awards.

December 10, 2007 – Accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.

February 12, 2009 – Receives NAACP Chairman’s Award during the annual Image Award ceremony. The honor is given in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. This year’s award is shared with Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai.

June 1, 2010 – Gore and wife Tipper, announce they are to separate after 40 years of marriage.

January 2, 2013 – Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera purchases Current TV for a reported $500 million, personally netting Gore an estimated $70 million.

December 5, 2016 – Meets with President-elect Donald Trump to speak about climate change issues.

January 19, 2017 – “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. Paramount Pictures releases the film worldwide in July.

2017 – Publishes “The Assault on Reason: 2017 Edition” with a new preface and conclusion: “Post-Truth: On Donald Trump and the 2016 Election.”

November 4, 2019 – Releases a statement expressing his disappointment over failing to persuade Trump to keep the US in the Paris climate agreement. “I thought that he would come to his senses on it, but he didn’t,” Gore said.