Tipper Gore
Encyclopedia
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (born August 19, 1948), née
Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States
, and the estranged wife of Al Gore
. She is also well known for her active role in the Parents Music Resource Center
and voicing strong opinions for the labeling of record covers of releases featuring profane language, especially in the heavy metal
and rap
genres.
, Tipper Gore is the daughter of John "Jack" Kenneth Aitcheson Jr., a plumbing-supply entrepreneur, and his first wife, Margaret Ann Carlson Odom (who lost her first husband during World War II
). Gore has English
ancestry and grew up in Arlington, Virginia. Her parents divorce
d and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. Her nickname, Tipper, derives from the lullaby
"Tippy, Tippy, Tin", originally sung in the 1940 Our Gang
short "All About Hash
" by child actress Janet Burston
.
She attended St. Agnes (now St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School), a private Episcopal school in Alexandria, Virginia
, where she excelled in athletics and played the drum
s for an all-girl band, The Wildcats.
She met Gore at his senior prom in 1965. Although she came to the prom with one of his classmates, Gore and Tipper began to date immediately afterwards. When Gore began attending Harvard University
, she enrolled in Garland Junior College
(now part of Simmons College
) and later transferred to Boston University
, receiving her B.A. in psychology in 1970. Gore pursued a master's degree
in psychology
from George Peabody College, graduating in 1975. She then worked part-time as a newspaper photographer until her husband was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1976. In 1982, she resumed her photography career, working part-time forQuarante Magazine (1982-1985) published by Kathleen Katz of Arlington.
On May 19, 1970, she and Gore were married at the Washington National Cathedral
. She has four children: Karenna Aitcheson Gore Schiff
(born on August 6, 1973), Kristin Carlson Gore
(born on June 5, 1977), Sarah LaFon Gore (born on January 7, 1979), and Albert Gore III (born on October 19, 1982).
A longtime family friend of Al and Tipper Gore confirmed on June 1, 2010, that the Gores sent out an e-mail to family friends announcing that they have made a mutual decision to separate
.
In 1985, she co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center
(PMRC) with Susan Baker, wife of then United States Secretary of the Treasury
James Baker
, because Tipper heard her then 11-year-old daughter
playing "Darling Nikki
" by Prince. According to an article by NPR
, Gore went "before Congress to urge warning labels for records marketed to children." A number of individuals including Dee Snider
of Twisted Sister
, Jello Biafra
of the Dead Kennedys
, John Denver
, Joey Ramone
and Frank Zappa
criticized the group, arguing that it was a form of censorship. In response, NPR
further stated that according to Gore, she "wasn't out to censor the objectionable material" and quoted her as stating that she is "a strong believer in the First Amendment" who is calling for greater "consumer information in the marketplace." Gore resigned from the group in 1992 when she became Second Lady
.
She was actively involved in her husband's presidential campaign in 2000, making numerous campaign stops nationwide such as at Chicago
's Taste of Polonia
over Labor Day Weekend where she appeared along with Hadassah Lieberman
.
In 2002, Tipper was urged by her supporters to run for the vacant U.S. Senate seat her husband once held in Tennessee
, which was being vacated by Fred Thompson. However, she declined.
In 2003, Gore spoke at the "Erasing the Stigma Awards" about her experience with depression after her son, Al Gore III, was hit by a car when he was a young child.
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States
Second Lady of the United States
Second lady of the United States is an informal title for the wife of the vice president of the United States, coined in contrast to the first lady ....
, and the estranged wife of Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. She is also well known for her active role in the Parents Music Resource Center
Parents Music Resource Center
The Parents Music Resource Center was an American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice...
and voicing strong opinions for the labeling of record covers of releases featuring profane language, especially in the heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
genres.
Background
Born Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Tipper Gore is the daughter of John "Jack" Kenneth Aitcheson Jr., a plumbing-supply entrepreneur, and his first wife, Margaret Ann Carlson Odom (who lost her first husband during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). Gore has English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ancestry and grew up in Arlington, Virginia. Her parents divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. Her nickname, Tipper, derives from the lullaby
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
"Tippy, Tippy, Tin", originally sung in the 1940 Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short "All About Hash
All About Hash
All About Hash is a 1940 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 189th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
" by child actress Janet Burston
Janet Burston
Janet Burston was an American child actress who was the final leading lady in the Our Gang short subjects series, replacing Darla Hood in 1942.-Career:...
.
She attended St. Agnes (now St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School), a private Episcopal school in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, where she excelled in athletics and played the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s for an all-girl band, The Wildcats.
She met Gore at his senior prom in 1965. Although she came to the prom with one of his classmates, Gore and Tipper began to date immediately afterwards. When Gore began attending Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, she enrolled in Garland Junior College
Garland Junior College
Garland Junior College was a liberal arts women's college in Boston, Massachusetts. Mary Garland established the Garland Kindergarten Training School in 1872 on Chestnut Street in Boston's Beacon Hill. By 1903, the school had expanded its curriculum to include home economics, and was renamed the...
(now part of Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
) and later transferred to Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, receiving her B.A. in psychology in 1970. Gore pursued a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from George Peabody College, graduating in 1975. She then worked part-time as a newspaper photographer until her husband was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1976. In 1982, she resumed her photography career, working part-time forQuarante Magazine (1982-1985) published by Kathleen Katz of Arlington.
On May 19, 1970, she and Gore were married at the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
. She has four children: Karenna Aitcheson Gore Schiff
Karenna Gore Schiff
Karenna Aitcheson Gore Schiff is an American author, journalist, and attorney. She is the eldest daughter of Al and Tipper Gore and the sister of Kristin Gore.-Background and family:...
(born on August 6, 1973), Kristin Carlson Gore
Kristin Gore
Kristin Carlson Gore is an American author and screenwriter. She is the second daughter of Al and Tipper Gore and the sister of Karenna Gore Schiff, Sarah and Albert III.-Background:...
(born on June 5, 1977), Sarah LaFon Gore (born on January 7, 1979), and Albert Gore III (born on October 19, 1982).
A longtime family friend of Al and Tipper Gore confirmed on June 1, 2010, that the Gores sent out an e-mail to family friends announcing that they have made a mutual decision to separate
Legal separation
Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...
.
Author
Tipper Gore is the author of a number of books including:- Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society, 1987, ISBN 0-687-35282-7
- Picture This: A Visual Diary, 1996, ISBN 0-553-06720-6
- From the Bottom of Our Hearts, 2002, ISBN 1-931718-32-6 (introduction)
- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, ISBN 0-8050-7450-3, (with Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
) - The Spirit of Family, 2002, ISBN 5-550-15167-7 (with Al Gore)
Politics and activism
Parents Music Resource Center
The Parents Music Resource Center was an American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice...
(PMRC) with Susan Baker, wife of then United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
James Baker
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
, because Tipper heard her then 11-year-old daughter
Karenna Gore Schiff
Karenna Aitcheson Gore Schiff is an American author, journalist, and attorney. She is the eldest daughter of Al and Tipper Gore and the sister of Kristin Gore.-Background and family:...
playing "Darling Nikki
Darling Nikki
"Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and originally released on his Grammy Award-winning 1984 album, Purple Rain. Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics...
" by Prince. According to an article by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Gore went "before Congress to urge warning labels for records marketed to children." A number of individuals including Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
of Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
, Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
of the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
criticized the group, arguing that it was a form of censorship. In response, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
further stated that according to Gore, she "wasn't out to censor the objectionable material" and quoted her as stating that she is "a strong believer in the First Amendment" who is calling for greater "consumer information in the marketplace." Gore resigned from the group in 1992 when she became Second Lady
Second Lady of the United States
Second lady of the United States is an informal title for the wife of the vice president of the United States, coined in contrast to the first lady ....
.
She was actively involved in her husband's presidential campaign in 2000, making numerous campaign stops nationwide such as at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Taste of Polonia
Taste of Polonia
The Taste of Polonia is a Chicago festival held at the Copernicus Cultural and Civic Center in the Jefferson Park community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States every Labor Day weekend since 1979. It is the Copernicus Foundation's major fundraiser and a four-day celebration of...
over Labor Day Weekend where she appeared along with Hadassah Lieberman
Hadassah Lieberman
Hadassah Lieberman is the wife of United States Senator Joseph Lieberman .-Biography:She was born Hadassah Freilich in a refugee camp in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her parents were both Holocaust survivors. Her father was Samuel Freilich, a lawyer and rabbi from Munkács, in the Carpathian Ruthenia...
.
In 2002, Tipper was urged by her supporters to run for the vacant U.S. Senate seat her husband once held in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, which was being vacated by Fred Thompson. However, she declined.
In 2003, Gore spoke at the "Erasing the Stigma Awards" about her experience with depression after her son, Al Gore III, was hit by a car when he was a young child.
External links
- Tipper Gore Photography
- Official White House homepage (archived)
- Early version of official White House homepage, 1994
- Warm and personable wins points with public - Tipper Gore (1996)
- Biography - Frontline
- Biography
- Tipper Gore and Family Values - NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
- Tipper Gore speaks at the Democratic National Convention, 1996
- The Women Who Made Al Gore