George Wallace, Jr.

George Corley Wallace, III (often called George Wallace, Jr.), born October 17, 1951, in Eufaula, Alabama, is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner (Position 2) and was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in the 2006 party primary.

Personal life

Wallace, a former Democrat, is the only son of George Corley Wallace, Jr., and Lurleen Burns Wallace, each of whom were Democratic governors. His sisters are Bobbi Jo Parsons, Peggy Sue Kennedy, and Janie Lee Dye.

He was clipped playing football in the seventh grade, an injury for which he was hospitalized.

George C. Wallace, IV, and Robert Kelly Wallace are Wallace's adult sons. He married the former Elizabeth Grimes Maynor in 2000 and has two stepdaughters from this marriage.

In 1970 Wallace graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He then completed a bachelor's degree in history at Huntingdon College in Montgomery in 1976. He did graduate work in political science and public administration at Auburn University in Auburn.

Professional life

Wallace worked at Troy State University from 1978 to 1987, serving as director of financial aid and alumni affairs from 1978 to 1982 and as vice president of development and alumni affairs from 1983 to 1987.

In 1986, Wallace was elected as Alabama state treasurer and was reelected in 1990. Early in his second term, he won the Democratic nomination for ushr|Alabama|2, his family's home district. He was an early favorite, especially after his expected Republican opponent, State Senator Larry Dixon, lost in the primary to newspaper publisher Terry Everett. However, Wallace lost to Everett by only 3,500 votes, largely because most of the district's black residents had been shifted to the 7th District. After his second term as state treasurer, he worked at the Center for Government and Public Affairs at Auburn University Montgomery.

Wallace became a Republican sometime in the mid-1990s, and was elected to the Alabama Public Service Commission in 1998. He served two terms, stepping down in 2006.

Controversy

In June 2005 he opened up the first day of the annual national convention of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), a conservative group that critics describe as "white supremacist". This was not Wallace's first interaction with the CCC; he gave speeches to the CCC once in 1998 and twice in 1999.

Lieutenant Governor Campaign

In the June 6, 2006, Republican primary election, Wallace qualified for the runoff election, which was held on July 18, 2006. He lost to attorney and Washington lobbyist Luther Strange by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin. Senator John McCain of Arizona had made appearances on Wallace's behalf. Wallace believes that his latest defeat could mean the end of his long career in state politics.

References

* [http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?site_area=1&aid=109 Southern Poverty Law page]