Leaders From Alabama

Fred Thompson was an American politician, lobbyist, attorney, columnist, radio personality, and actor. From 1994 to 2003, Thompson served as the United States Senator from Tennessee. As an actor, he played important roles in several films and TV series, such as Law & Order and Barbarians at the Gate.

The 66th United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made history in 2005 when she became the first female black Secretary of State. She is also the first female to serve as National Security Advisor, a position which she served from 2001 to 2005. One of the most powerful women in the world at one point of time, she has been depicted in Hollywood films.

Popularly known as one of the Big Six—leaders of six important civil rights organizations who masterminded the Great March on Washington in 1963—John Lewis played an important role in the civil rights movement that eventually ended racial segregation in the US. Also a statesman, Lewis was honored with many awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Four-time Alabama governor George Wallace was known for his segregationist views. He ran for president multiple times. After an assassination attempt that left him paralyzed, he softened his stance on segregation and appointed two black members in the same cabinet. He remains the fourth longest-tenured U.S. governor in history.

Mitch McConnell is a senator from Kentucky. He holds the record for being the longest-serving US senator for Kentucky. He is also the longest-serving leader of Senate Republicans in history. He led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws and was known as an obstructionist during President Barack Obama’s time. He endorses US President Donald Trump, but sometimes also criticises him.

Jeff Sessions is an American lawyer and politician. An important member of the Republican Party, Sessions was the 84th US Attorney General, serving under President Donald Trump's administration. Throughout his political career, Jeff Sessions has played important roles, such as co-sponsoring the bill to award the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights movement activist Rosa Parks.

Apart from being a civil engineer, Fob James was also an entrepreneur, with his own company that manufactured fitness equipment. A talented professional footballer in his younger days, he was also an All-American half-back. He served two terms as the governor of Alabama, once as a Democrat and again, as a Republican.

U.S. Army physician William C. Gorgas was in charge of the sanitation of Panama and successfully eradicated both malaria and yellow fever from the zone, thus paving the way for the construction of the Panama Canal. He was later made part of the Hall of Fame For Great Americans.