Gore and the 1956 vice presidential nomination procedure
In 1956, Gore joined a list of politicians vying for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. Though the leaders of the House and the Senate had backed Gore, when he did not win the nomination, he backed Kefauver instead.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Albert Gore, October 24, 1976. Interview A-0321-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
I think that one thing that would be
interesting to talk about in this interview is 1956 and your bid for the
vice-presidential nomination. What was happening in Tennessee? All of a
sudden there were three people that looked like they might have some
chance for the vice-presidency. What was your position?
- ALBERT GORE:
-
It wasn't all of a sudden. That situation existed, it came into being
with Governor Frank G. Clement's prominence and with his courageous
action on the civil rights issue with respect to Clinton, Tennessee.
2
2 The Clinton, Tennessee, racial integration dispute did not
actually develop until September 1956 after the August
Democratic National Convention in which Clement played such a
prominent role. The Tennessee Governor's prominence and moderate
image on civil rights were more clearly related to his rejection
in January 1956 of demands by pro-segregationist groups that he
call a special session of the state legislature to enact
legislation to protect segregation.
One of the bravest things that any leader in our state ever did:
he sent the National Guard not to stand in the schoolhouse and beat them
out, but to escort them in. This gave him very great prominence in the
country, and justifiably so. He was an eloquent and handsome young
governor who had taken a position with which the whole nation could
associate and identify. So with the power of the
office of the governor, which carried with it the power to select the
delegation to the National Convention--and I recall he was
keynoter--here was a man prominently mentioned as a choice for
vice-president. Then there was Senator Kefauver, who had made the strong
campaign for the presidential nomination in '52 and who was again a
strong candidate for the presidential nomination. And he had repeatedly
said that he was not a candidate and would not be a candidate for
vice-president. Well, by then with the degree of prominence that I had
achieved as a senator and with the stronger support that I had than
either Kefauver or Clement among the congressmen and the senators of the
Democratic persuasion, I too was prominently mentioned as a likely
vice-presidential selection. Thus it hung when suddenly, after having
achieved the nomination for president, Adlai Stevenson announced that he
would make no recommendation but leave the selection entirely to the
convention. This, as you will recall, was at an evening session, and the
vice-presidential nomination was to be made the next day. So the ring
was open, the choice was free: do you get in or do you not? So I decided
to toss my hat in the ring. Later Senator Kefauver decided to seek the
nomination himself, so did Kennedy, so did others: Hubert Humphrey, I've
forgotten all of them. There were many of us who
[laughter]
said, "It's free for all; let's get in." So
that was the spirit in which all of us got into the contest. It was one
night you get in. I remember I went to see Sam Rayburn about midnight.
He was for me; Mike Monroney was for me; many leaders of both House and
Senate were for me. And it was very close; it was very close. In fact,
with just a very minor turn, say of one man, on that second ballot I
would have been nominated. But that's a long time
ago. It was a lot of fun.
- JAMES B. GARDNER:
-
What went on in Tennessee, in the Tennessee delegation, that they decided
to support you rather than Senator Kefauver? I know there was a
resolution that they would support any Tennessean with a chance for
nomination to national office. How did they decide? What swung the
Tennessee delegation to support you rather than Senator Kefauver?
- ALBERT GORE:
-
Well, just as I had the support of more congressmen and senators outside
of Tennessee, not only in this matter but in other matters, than Senator
Kefauver had, more of the politicians in the delegation were favorable
to me than to Senator Kefauver. Now even more of them were favorable to
Governor Clement, but by then he had backed away. He was a candidate for
the vice-presidential nomination so long as it was to be chosen by the
presidential nominee. Once it was thrown open to the convention he
decided not to try for it. So then it was a choice for the delegation.
And I had announced; then later Senator Kefauver had announced. But by
then the people were
[laughter]
sleepy in the wee hours of the morning. And so come the next
morning at convention time, why there were two Tennesseans who were
candidates, not three. I was preferable to the majority of the
delegation. But we worked out an agreement that if I could not be
nominated then I would support Senator Kefauver. He was not involved in
that decision; I was involved in it. And as a result of that commitment
on my part the whole delegation voted for me. And when on the second
ballot Texas left me and went to John F. Kennedy in order to keep
Kefauver from getting it, I switched to Kefauver and gave it to him. It
was a fast ball game
[laughter]
, I'll tell you. In any television show when they want to review
past conventions there's no more dramatic incident
they show than that. It was a very wild
[laughter]
thing, and I came very close to being nominated.