Pauline LaFon Gore

Pauline LaFon Gore was the mother of former United States Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr. and the wife of former United States Senator Albert A. Gore. She is credited with playing a significant role in both of their careers with Al Gore Sr. saying "there will never be a better campaigner than Pauline LaFon Gore". Her advice was an important factor in his refusal to sign the "Southern Manifesto" opposing desegregation and his opposition to the Vietnam War which were critical issues in his bid for re-election as a Senator in 1970. She came from a poor family in small business to become one of the first female lawyers to graduate from Vanderbilt University and managed a Washington law firm in the 1970s.