Gore, Thomas Pryor (1870-1949)

US senator. He settled in Oklahoma Territory in 1901, becoming the region's most influential politician. He led the territory to statehood, and as a Democrat candidate he became one of its first two US senators (1907-21). A populist in domestic matters, he opposed US entry into World War I and the League of Nations. He lost the Democratic primary in 1920, but was re-elected in 1930. In his final term (1931-37), he opposed much of the New Deal except for legislation supporting farmers. He was born in Walthall, Mississippi. Practically blind, he practised as a lawyer before becoming a politician and gaining the nickname the ‘Blind Orator’.