Thomas Pryor Gore (December 10, 1870March 16, 1949) was an American politician who served as one of the first two
United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
s from
Oklahoma, from 1907 to 1921 and again from 1931 to 1937. He first entered politics as an activist for the
Populist Party, and continued this affiliation after he moved to Texas. In 1899, just before moving to
Oklahoma Territory to practice law in Lawton, he formally joined the Democratic Party and campaigned for
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...
. In the Senate, his anti-war beliefs caused him conflict with Democratic presidents
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
and
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
.
Gore lost his eyesight during his youth. He was the maternal grandfather of noted author
Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...
.
Early life
Gore was born on December 10, 1870, near
Embry, Mississippi in
Webster County, the son of Caroline Elizabeth (
née Wingo) and Thomas Madison Gore. The Gore family was one of the nineteen original families who owned farmlands in what later became the
capital of the United States
This is a list of capital cities of the United States, including places that serve or have served as federal, state, insular area, territorial, colonial and Native American capitals.
Washington has been the federal capital of the United Stat ...
, the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. The Gores were
Anglo-Irish from
Donegal and arrived in North America at the end of the seventeenth century and tended to intermarry with other Anglo-Irish families, particularly in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
When the District was established in 1790, the families that had been dispossessed to make way for the capital city, including the Gores, reaped significant financial rewards. The Gores who remained either sold their land in lots, built homes or hotels, and all became rich. The Gores who moved away, including the branch of Thomas Pryor Gore, moved to the far West, which in those days was
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
Young Thomas and his family moved to
Walthall, the county seat, when his father was elected
Chancery Clerk
Chancery may refer to:
Offices and administration
* Chancery (diplomacy), the principal office that houses a diplomatic mission or an embassy
* Chancery (medieval office), responsible for the production of official documents
* Chancery (Scotla ...
of Sumner County.
He went
blind as a child through two separate accidents but did not give up his dream of becoming a senator. Despite his blindness, he excelled in school and showed special talents in debate and oratory.
[
]
Career
He taught school briefly after graduation. In 1882, he served as a page in the Mississippi Senate. He moved to Lebanon, Tennessee in 1891, and received a law degree from Cumberland University Law School in the following year. He was admitted to the Mississippi Bar and joined his father's law firm in Mississippi.
Populist Party politics
The Gore family had been prominent members of the Southern Farmers' Alliance. Young Thomas was addressing Alliance meetings as early as 1888. The Alliance nominated him for the state legislature, but he had to withdraw because he was still a minor. Instead he served as a presidential elector for the Populist party in 1892. This experience expanded his reputation as an orator. In 1894, the Populist party of Navarro County, Texas
Navarro County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,624. Its county seat is Corsicana. The county is named for José Antonio Navarro, a Tejano leader in the Texas Revolution who signed th ...
invited him to come to Corsicana to help them win elections. He and his brother, Ellis, moved there in December, 1894, where they opened a law office. Meanwhile, he returned to Mississippi to run for the legislature in 1895, a race which he lost. He campaigned vigorously from Utah to New York for William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic candidate for president in 1900.
Returning to Texas, he ran as a Populist candidate for the 6th Congressional District in 1898, but lost because the party was already in decline. He served as a delegate to the Populist convention that year, but in 1899, formally joined the Democratic Party.
Democratic Party politics
After marrying Nina Kay in December 1900, the Gores moved to Lawton, in Oklahoma Territory. In 1902, he entered and won an election for the Oklahoma Territorial Senate. He declined an opportunity to run as a territorial representative for the U. S, Congress, but became an adviser to the 1907 Constitutional Convention, then was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1907.
In 1907, he was elected to the Senate as one of the first two senators from the new state of Oklahoma. He was re-elected in 1908 and 1914 but lost his seat["Burke, Bob. "Gore, Thomas Pryor (1870 - 1949)".](_blank)
Accessed October 14, 2016. in 1920. Gore and William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray were co-leaders of Woodrow Wilson's Oklahoma campaign for the Presidency in 1912. He was known as a member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, who supported many of Wilson's domestic programs, and worked well with Republicans such as Robert La Follette
Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...
. He was to a large extent no different from any other politician because of his blindness, but there were problems, as La Follette recounts an example in his memoirs when, during a filibuster, Gore did not realize that the senator who was to take over speaking for him had left the room, and the filibuster failed because he did not continue to speak. Also, some of Gore's colleagues in the Senate would attempt to take advantage of Gore's blindness by tricking him into signing documents that it was not in his party's interest for him to sign. He was famous for turning the tables on these sharp dealers and tricking them into signing documents that they did not intend to sign. These exploits made him popular with the press, who dubbed him "The Blind Cowboy."
In 1910, he accused lobbyist Jake L. Hamon Sr., of trying to bribe him.
In 1914, a woman stated that Gore had "taken advantage" of her in a hotel room. When prosecutors declined to file charges against the senator, the woman filed a civil suit against him. The jury sided with Gore, and the woman lost her suit.
Gore was a pacifist and an anti-interventionist who campaigned against militarism
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
, and loudly and vociferously condemned the malefactors of wealth as being the impetus for pushing America towards war; though he was often referred to as an isolationist
Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entan ...
. He voted against the Wilson Administration on most legislation pertaining to World War I. However, a majority of Oklahoma voters favored helping the Allies fight Germany. After the war, he also opposed Wilson's plan to support a League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. Not only did Gore alienate many previous supporters, but he also lost his close relationship with Wilson. Thus, he lost his bid for reelection in 1920. After leaving the Senate, he returned to his private law practice full-time in Washington D.C.
During the early stages of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he co-authored the Gore-McLemore Resolutions to encourage American citizens not to travel aboard merchant vessels of countries participating in the war. The merchant vessels were under threat of attack by German U-boats, and the Senator felt the loss of American lives in attacks upon these boats put American neutrality at risk. He was a strong, early supporter of Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
's, indeed, one acknowledged as the very first major elected official to endorse Wilson's candidacy for president in 1911. Yet Gore later opposed America's entry into the war even after American involvement began. He unsuccessfully opposed providing manpower for the military by conscription, saying it would create "an army of conscripted slackers." He asked: "Why should we brand the American boy as a conscript without affording him the opportunity to earn the glory of an American volunteer?" This was the principal cause of Gore's defeat in the Democratic primary in 1920 by Congressman Scott Ferris
Scott Ferris (November 3, 1877 – June 8, 1945) was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.
Early life
Ferris was born in Neosho, Missouri to Scott and Annie M. Ferris. , who was in turn defeated in the general election by Republican John W. Harreld. In addition to his opposition to the draft, Gore "was one of the earliest and most vigorous sponsors of a constitutional amendment to require a popular referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on any congressional declaration of war."[ Kauffman, Bill (2006-11-20]
The Populist Patriotism of Gore Vidal
''The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'' On domestic policy he was a supporter of the interests of farmers and Native Americans.
Gore was re-elected to the Senate in 1930. When Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
took office as President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
, Gore at first supported his New Deal policies but later feuded with him. In 1935, Gore helped lead the charge against funding the Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
(WPA). In written response to constituents who favored the WPA, he told them that their attitude "shows how the dole spoils the soul. Your telegram intimates that your votes are for sale. Much as I value votes I am not in the market. I cannot consent to buy votes with the people's money. I owe a debt to the taxpayer as well as to the unemployed." After dictating these words, the blind senator was led to the Senate floor to cast the lone vote against the WPA.
After losing the 1936 Democratic primary to Congressman Joshua B. Lee, Gore retired from the Senate in January 1937 and practiced law in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, until his death in 1949.[
]
Personal life
Thomas married Nina Belle Kay (1877–1963), a Texas plantation owner's daughter, on December 27, 1900. She was described as his "constant companion" and as his "eyes." They moved to Lawton, Oklahoma in June 1901. They had two children:
* Nina S. Gore (1903–1978), who married Eugene Luther Vidal (1895–1969) in 1922. They divorced in 1935, and later that year, she married Hugh D. Auchincloss. They divorced in 1941.
* Thomas Notley Gore (1910–1964)
Gore died on March 16, 1949, was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
, but was later re-interred on July 19, 1949, in Fairlawn Cemetery, also in Oklahoma City. According to his grandson, Gore Vidal
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...
, Gore was "the first and, I believe, last senator from an oil state to die without a fortune."[
Gore Vidal stated that his grandfather was an atheist and had a strong misanthropic streak: "He was a genuine populist; but he did not like people very much. He always said no to anyone who wanted government aid."][ During a speech to the ]National Press Club
Organizations
A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
on November 4, 1994, Vidal claimed that Thomas Gore had said "If there was any race other than the human race, I'd go join it."[Vidal, Gore, ''Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir, 1964 to 2006'' (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 19]
Descendants
Through his daughter he was the grandfather of writer Gore Vidal (1925–2012), Nina Gore Auchincloss (born 1937), who was married to Newton Steers
Newton Ivan Steers Jr. (January 13, 1917 – February 11, 1993), was a U.S. Congressman who represented Maryland's 8th congressional district from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1979.
Early life
Newton Ivan Steers Jr. was born on January 13, ...
from 1957 to 1974, and then Michael Straight
Michael Whitney Straight (September 1, 1916 – January 4, 2004) was an American magazine publisher, novelist, patron of the arts, a member of the prominent Whitney family, and a confessed spy for the KGB.
Early life
Straight was born in New Yo ...
from 1974 to 1998, and Thomas Gore Auchincloss (born 1937) who married Diana "Didi" Lippert.
Through his son Thomas, and the younger's first wife Mary Elisabeth Gore, he was the grandfather of Thomas P. Gore II (1937–2015) and Mary Elisabeth Gore McDonnell (b. 1935), who married to Charles Austin McDonnell. Through Thomas P. Gore II, and his ex-wife, Elisabeth Dwelle, Gore was the great-grandfather of Robert Houston Gore. Through Mary Elisabeth, Gore was great-grandfather of Blaire Alexander McDonnell White, Charles Austin McDonnell III, Anne Livingston McDonnell Tallon, Elisabeth Gore McDonnell Marquez, and Robert Brent McDonnell.
Through his son Thomas, and the younger's second wife Margaret, Gore was the grandfather of two additional grandchildren: Thomas Notley Gore Jr. and Nina Gore Brookshier.
Honors
Thomas Gore was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
in 1932.
A major road artery in Lawton, Oklahoma, Gore Boulevard, is named after him, as is the eastern Oklahoma town of Gore.
Notes
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gore, Thomas P.
*
Thomas P. Gore Collection
at the Carl Albert Center
The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and infor ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gore, Thomas
1870 births
1949 deaths
People from Webster County, Mississippi
American people of Anglo-Irish descent
Mississippi Populists
Democratic Party United States senators from Oklahoma
Oklahoma Democrats
20th-century American politicians
American anti-war activists
American atheists
American pacifists
American politicians with disabilities
Blind people from the United States
Blind politicians
Non-interventionism
Cumberland University alumni
Texas Populists
Members of the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature