Tipper Gore's Biography

Tipper Gore is the wife of Vice President Al Gore. She is a well-known advocate for families, women and children and is actively involved in issues related to mental health, education and homelessness.

[Enlarged]

As Mental Health Policy Advisor to the President, Mrs. Gore is committed to eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness and educating Americans about the need for quality, affordable mental health care. In June of 1999, Mrs. Gore chaired the first ever White House Conference on Mental Health that addressed stigma, discrimination and parity in mental health care. In 1990, Mrs. Gore founded Tennessee Voices for Children, a coalition to promote the development of services for children and youth with behavioral, emotional, substance abuse, or other mental health problems. She also served as co-chair of the Child Mental Health Interest Group, a non-partisan group of Congressional and Administration spouses.

[Enlarged]

As Special Advisor to the Interagency Council on the Homeless, Mrs. Gore works continuously to raise public awareness of homeless issues and to improve the effective delivery of federal homeless assistance resources and program coordination at the state and local level. She has experienced great success with her efforts as co-founder and chair of Families for the Homeless, a non-partisan partnership of families. Most recently, she partnered with the National Alliance for the Homeless to co-author The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, a collection of photography by Mrs. Gore and other prominent photographers focusing on solutions to end the problem of homelessness.

[Enlarged]

In 1996, Mrs. Gore published, Picture This, A Visual Diary, which is a personal photographic representation of life as wife of the Vice President. Proceeds from this book were donated to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in Nashville, TN.

Since 1996, Mrs. Gore has served as Co-Chair of "America Goes Back to School," an initiative launched by the Department of Education to work with parents, teachers and students to help promote a better learning environment among our nation's children.

In 1978 and 1979, as Chair of the Congressional Wives Task Force, Mrs. Gore helped draw attention to the issue of violence in the media and its affect upon children. She subsequently co-founded the Parents' Music Resource Center in 1985 to promote parental and consumer awareness of the various themes in popular entertainment that are marketed toward children. Her first book, Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society is a guide to parenting and the media.

Mrs. Gore received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University in 1970 and her Master's degree in Psychology from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in 1975. Mrs. Gore worked as a newspaper photographer for the Nashville Tennessean until her husband was elected to Congress in 1976.

Born Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson on August 19, 1948, Mrs. Gore grew up in Arlington, Virginia; she was nicknamed Tipper by her mother. In 1970, she married Al Gore. They have four children: Karenna (August 6, 1973), Kristin (June 5, 1977), Sarah (January 7, 1979) and Albert III (October 19, 1982). On July 4, 1999, Karenna and her husband, Dr. Drew Schiff, gave birth to their first son, Wyatt Gore Schiff. Wyatt is the Gores' first grandchild.

[Enlarged]

Tipper links

The following links are agencies and organizations that Mrs. Gore has had contact with during her work on mental health, homelessness, and family issues. Hopefully, these links will be a helpful resource for those with concerns and questions.

Links to Pages Relating to Mental Health

NIMH-The National Institute of Mental Health. This site contains a searchable database of information concerning mental illness. Nimh research has broadened our understanding of diagnosis and treatment on mental disorders.

SAMHSA-The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has information concerning mental illness and its relation to drug abuse. The page makes people aware of the need for programs and educational resources for drug abuse and mental illness.

HCFA- Health Care Financing Adminstration provides information regarding Medicare and Medicaid programs.

NIH- National Institute of Health. Link to the National Library of Medicine for a complete resource for medical education, research and service of Federal and private agencies.

Links to Pages Relating to The Homeless

HUD- The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a searchable database of over 1,000 documents on the subject of homelessness. (Search the Interagency Council on the homeless for more specific information on this issue.)

Links to Pages Relating to Children's Issues

HHS- In the Department of Health and Human Services web site, look at the Administration for Children and Families. This is a program that promotes economic and social well-being of families, children, and communities.

"Send flowers to someone in your local nursing home;
Send a donation to your local battered women's shelter;
Send a donation to your local food bank;
Make a contribution to your local homeless shelter;
Send a teddy bear to a child in your local children's hospital.

Please just remember to also forward a note or card along with your contribution with these words:

'In Honor of Tipper Gore for the contributions she has made to children, families, the homeless, mental health issues, and all those in America who feel their voices have not been heard.'"