Al and Tipper Through the Years

Al and Tipper had a rarity in politics: a genuine partnership. Lloyd Grove reports on happier times with the couple—and what friends think went wrong.

AP Photo,Anonymous

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---1_lplmd9 — Al and Tipper Gore almost exactly forty years ago, on their wedding day on May 19, 1970. Al’s parents, Senator Albert Gore and his wife, Pauline, greet the happy couple after the ceremony at Washington Cathedral. The Gores went on to have four children: Karenna (1973), Kristin (1977), Sarah (1979), and Albert III (1982).
AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---2_o95euc — Junior’s first day: After winning his first Senate election, Al—with Tipper by his side—receives a mock swearing-in from Vice President George H.W. Bush on Capitol Hill, January 3, 1985. Al had served in Congress since 1977 and won his Senate race handily.
Lana Harris / AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---3_ljktty — Kiss me, I’m Irish! Tipper and Al waving to parade-goers during the Southside St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago on March 13, 1988. Al ran for president that year, but dropped out after getting just 10 percent of the vote in the New York primary.
Mark Elias / AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---4_rauwxx — Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow….The Gores celebrate on election night in Little Rock on November 3, 1992, with their running mates, the Clintons. During the campaign, Tipper said she and Hillary had become fast friends: “Just imagine being two couples on a bus for four or five days. It's really been very intimate—very intimate,” she told People.
Susan Ragan / AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---5_efbjxn — An inconvenient costume—Al and Tipper got kitted out as Beauty and the Beast for Halloween night at their Washington, D.C., home in 1995. The couple was known for dressing up for the holiday.
White House via AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---6_l4pres — Round 2: Al is sworn in by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for his second term as vice president, with Tipper and two of their daughters by his side.
Ron Edmonds / AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---8_zqjn4l — Al goes in for one of politics’ most famous—and passionate—kisses on stage at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. He, of course, received the Democratic nomination, and the rest is history…
David J. Phillip / AP Photo

galleries/2010/06/01/al-and-tipper-through-the-years/al-and-tipper-gore---8-1_tdias8 — From vice president to Nobel laureate to Oscar-winning filmmaker—the Gores made the scene at the Academy Awards in 2007, where Al picked up his statuette for An Inconvenient Truth.
Reed Saxon / AP Photo

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