Gore, Thomas Pryor, United States Senator from Oklahoma (1907-1921); Oklahoma Territorial Senate's 11th district (1902-1905), 1870-1949

Biographical:

At the age of twelve, Thomas Pryor Gore (1870-1949) began his political involvement by serving as a page in the Mississippi state senate. Although he had been blinded by two childhood accidents, Gore never let his disability interfere with his dream--to become a United States senator. After receiving his law degree, he became a popular stump speaker on the behalf of the People's (or Populist) Party. With the demise of the Populists, Gore rejoined the Democratic Party although he retained many of the Populist's principles. Gore came to Oklahoma Territory in 1901 and served in the territorial legislature. When Oklahoma was admitted to the union in 1907, Gore became one of the new state's first United States Senators. His first term was only for one year, but he was reelected for two full terms. Although he lost his renomination bid in 1920, he remained active in the political arena. He served one more term in the Senate from 1931-1937. The senator was the grandfather of writer Gore Vidal.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Thomas P. Gore Collection

 Collection

Identifier: CAC-CC-024

Scope and Contents While the Gore Collection is only 15 linear feet, it contains a wide variety of materials related to topics important to Gore and Oklahoma. Many of the materials, especially the correspondence, come from Gore’s post-Senate years, but the Subject Correspondence and Papers are related to his time in the Senate and include documents related to Indian affairs, economics, national and Oklahoma politics, and both World War I and World War II. Because of his reputation as a nationally renowned...

Dates: 1890-1940; Majority of material found in 1930-1940

Found in: Carl Albert Center Congressional and Political Collections