Political Fundraiser with Senator Albert Gore (1956)

Duration: 29:18:00

Year Published: 1956

Sound: sound

Description: Presented by the Texas Democratic Campaign Committee, this political telecast captures a Democratic fundraising dinner at Austin’s Driskill Hotel on October 31, 1956. Attendees paid $25-a-plate, filling the hotel’s Crystal Ballroom. The event was also broadcast over 12 Texas television stations. Then-Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson addresses the audience first, expressing his thanks and concerns. He then introduces the guest of honor: Senator Albert Gore Sr. of Tennessee. Gore served in the United States Congress from 1939 to 1971, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. (His son, Al Gore Jr., likewise represented Tennessee in Congress before becoming Vice President of the United States in 1992.) The primary focus of Gore’s speech is atomic energy and security. Describing the dangerous effects of nuclear fallout, he advocates for the end of atomic weapons testing and stresses Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson’s knowledge of the issue. The presidential election occurred less than a week after this event on November 6, with Stevenson losing to incumbent Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower.