In chronicling the life and career of Albert Gore, Sr., historian Anthony J. Badger explores the successes and failures of this Tennessee politician who was in the national eye for more than thirty years and whose career illuminates the significance of race, religion, and class in the creation of the modern South.

"A sophisticated account of an important figure in the history of Southern politics and modern American liberalism. Anthony J. Badger elucidates particular lines along which liberal politics evolved in the middle decades of the twentieth century and dramatizes the transformation of southern politics during this same time. "—Bruce Schulman, Boston University

"A superb book—imaginatively and exhaustively researched, rich in provocative arguments and original insights, and written with clarity and polish. Anthony J. Badger uses Gore's career to illuminate the development of the modern American South, the transformation of Southern and national politics, and the legislative history of such key measures as the Interstate Highway Act and Medicare."—Joseph Crespino, Emory University

"An interesting study filled with useful historical context . . . A British historian fascinated with the American South examines the changes in the region through the political career of Albert Gore Sr. (1907-1998). Badger offers a great deal of information about the U.S. senator from Tennessee—and father of former vice president Al Gore Jr."—Kirkus Reviews