Gore, Al(bert Arnold, Jr) (1948- )

US Democratic politician and environmentalist, vice-president 1993-2001. A member of the House of Representatives 1977-85 and senator for Tennessee 1985-93, he was on the conservative wing of the party, but held liberal views on such matters as women's rights, environmental issues, and abortion. As vice-president to president Bill Clinton he was unusually active in foreign affairs, and also advocated reforms in government through cutting red tape and improving efficiency. He narrowly failed to win the 2000 presidential election, winning 500,000 more votes but four fewer electoral-college seats than his Republican opponent, George W Bush. Since 2001 he has been an influential campaigner on environmental issues. His 2006 book and documentary film/DVD, An Inconvenient Truth, which warned of the dangers of increased global warming if human behaviour did not change, were best sellers. He was also a critic of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which he viewed as a diversion from the fight against al-Qaeda and terrorism.

Born in Washington, DC, Gore was raised in Tennessee, where his father was senator, and worked as a journalist, property developer, and farmer before going into politics. He was known to have strong views on arms control, the military, and foreign policy. He unsuccessfully contested the Democrats' presidential nomination in 1988, but easily won it in 2000. In November 2001, he became vice-chair of Metropolitan West Financial, a financial services holding company in Los Angeles, California. He is on the board of directors of the IT firm, Apple Computer, and a senior advisor to Google Inc.