Tipper Gore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tipper Gore
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Gore in 2009
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| Second Lady of the United States | |
| In role January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 |
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| Vice President | Al Gore |
| Preceded by | Marilyn Quayle |
| Succeeded by | Lynne Cheney |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson
August 19, 1948 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Karenna and Kristin |
| Education | Garland Junior College Boston University (BA) Vanderbilt University (MA) |
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore was born on August 19, 1948. She is an American who has worked to help with social issues. She was the Second Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She held this role because she was married to Al Gore, who was the 45th Vice President. They married in 1970 and separated in 2010.
In 1985, Tipper Gore helped start the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). This group wanted music albums to have labels if they contained bad language. This was especially for heavy metal, punk, and hip hop music. Throughout her public life, she has supported putting warning labels on music. She has also worked to raise awareness for mental health, women's rights, children's causes, LGBT rights, and helping people who are homeless.
Growing Up and School
Tipper Gore was born Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson in Washington, D.C.. Her father, John Kenneth "Jack" Aitcheson, Jr., owned a plumbing supply business. Her mother was Margaret Ann Odom. Tipper's mother gave her the nickname "Tipper" from a lullaby.
Tipper grew up in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother and grandmother raised her after her parents divorced.
She went to St. Agnes, a private school in Alexandria, Virginia. There, she played basketball, softball, and field hockey. She also played the drums in an all-girl band called The Wildcats.
She met Al Gore at his senior prom in 1965. They started dating right after the prom. When Al Gore went to Harvard University, she went to Garland Junior College. She later moved to Boston University and earned a degree in psychology in 1970. On May 19, 1970, she and Al Gore got married at the Washington National Cathedral.
Tipper Gore continued her education. She earned a master's degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University in 1975.
Her Work
Tipper Gore worked as a part-time newspaper photographer for The Tennessean in Nashville. She continued to work as a freelance photographer in Washington. This was after her husband was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1976.
Helping Others and Politics
Tipper Gore played an active role in her husband's political life. This started with his first campaign for the United States House of Representatives in 1976. After he was elected, she created a group. This group, called the Congressional Wives Task Force, studied and wrote about social issues.
In 1984, Gore began helping at homeless shelters. Helping people experiencing homelessness became a very important cause for her. She started a group called Families for the Homeless. This group worked to raise money and awareness for the issue.
Parents Music Resource Center
In 1985, Tipper Gore helped create the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). She started it with Sally Nevius, Pam Howar, and Susan Baker. They started the group because Gore's 11-year-old daughter, Karenna, was listening to "Darling Nikki" by Prince.
The group wanted to help parents and consumers know about music with strong content. They suggested that albums should have Parental Advisory stickers. Other groups, like the National PTA, joined their effort.
Tipper Gore spoke to Congress about adding warning labels to music for children. She said her goal was not to stop music, but to make it safer for young listeners. She wanted to give parents information about the songs. Some musicians, like Dee Snider and Frank Zappa, did not agree. They said it was a form of censorship. Gore explained that she was not trying to censor music. She said she believed in the First Amendment and wanted more "consumer information."
From the 1990s to Today
Tipper Gore also helped lead a group focused on mental health for children.
She campaigned for her husband during his 1988 presidential campaign. She also toured with him and Bill and Hillary Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign.
As Second Lady, Gore advised the president on mental health policy. She worked to reduce the shame linked to mental illness. She also wanted to make sure people could get affordable mental health care. In 1999, Gore hosted the first White House Conference on Mental Health. That same year, she started the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign. This campaign encouraged Americans to get help for mental illness. Gore has often shared her own experience with depression and getting treatment. This was after her son Albert was seriously injured.
Besides her work in mental health, Gore was part of other projects as Second Lady. She advised the Interagency Council on the Homeless. She was also the national spokesperson for the "Back to Sleep" campaign. This campaign raised awareness about SIDS. In 1994, Gore visited a refugee camp in Zaire. She went there to help after the Rwandan genocide. She stayed at a UNICEF camp and helped doctors and aid workers. In 1998, she made an official visit to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. She volunteered, brought medical supplies, and saw the damage.
Gore helped campaign for the reelection of President Clinton and Vice President Gore in 1996. She was also very involved in her husband's presidential campaign in 2000. She made her own campaign stops and appeared in the media. She also gave advice and helped with decisions for the campaign.
In 2002, some people wanted Gore to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. This was the seat her husband used to hold. However, she decided not to run.
Gore has long supported the LGBT community. In 1993, she took part in the Washington, D.C. AIDS Walk. She was one of the highest-ranking public officials to join. She has continued to participate in such walks. In 2013, she was an honorary chair for the Nashville AIDS Walk & 5K Run. She spoke out against California's Proposition 8 in 2008. This law tried to ban same-sex marriage. In 2014, she showed her photographs at the Wall Space Gallery. This was to support the Pacific Pride Foundation. This group helps the HIV/AIDS and LGBT communities in Santa Barbara, California.
As of 2012, she was a co-chair of the advisory board for the Diana Basehart Foundation. This foundation helps homeless and low-income people with animal care.
Creative Hobbies
In high school, Tipper Gore was the drummer for an all-girl band called the Wildcats. She has played drums with members of the Grateful Dead. In 2009, she played drums during the song "Sugar Magnolia" with the band The Dead. In 2000, she played on stage at the Equality Rocks concert. This was for a crowd of 45,000 people. Later that year, she played with Willie Nelson at Farm Aid. In 2012, she played with Herbie Hancock at a jazz competition.
Tipper Gore has been a photographer since the 1970s. She has published several books of her photographs. Her photos have been shown in exhibits. Her prints have also been sold in stores.
Her Family Life
Tipper Gore has four children: Karenna Gore (born 1973), Kristin Gore (born 1977), Sarah LaFon Gore Maiani (born 1979), and Albert Arnold Gore III (born 1982). She also has several grandchildren.
Tipper and Al Gore were baptized at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, in 1980. Tipper Gore served as a deaconess at the church.
In June 2010, the Gores announced they were separating. They said it was a decision they made together after thinking about it for a long time. In 2012, The New York Times reported that both Gores were dating other people. They did not plan to get back together, but their connection remained friendly. The newspaper said they still met a few times a year for family vacations and Christmases. As of August 2012, she was dating Bill Allen, a former editor of National Geographic.
See also
In Spanish: Tipper Gore para niños
