Reply #22: Gore's family doesn't have old money - - his grandparents were poor [View All]

His parents clawed their way up to the middle class during the Great Depression. His dad started out as a school teacher, then ran for elected office, eventually becoming a Congressman then a Senator.

His mom worked as a waitress until she earned her degree. She was one of the first women to receive a law degree from Vanderbilt University.

Gore's family didn't become wealthy until after Al Gore Sr. left politics in 1972 - - and Al Gore was an adult. When Gore Sr. was in office, they could only afford to stay in a "family hotel" (read apartment) in D.C., run by a cousin. Gore and his sister shared a room until she went to college. The family had to occasionally evacuate in favor of paying guests.

During the summers, Gore's father made him do strenuous manual labor on their farm, in order to learn the value of work. When Gore Sr. was traveling the state campaigning, he would sometimes leave Al Gore with neighbors whose farm did not have running water or indoor plumbing.

The first home Al and Tipper had was base housing at Fort Drucker: a mobile home.