In 1938 , at age 19 , Wallace contributed to his grandfather 's successful campaign for probate judge . Late in 1945 , he was appointed as one of the assistant attorneys general of Alabama , and in May 1946 , he won his first election as a member to the Alabama House of Representatives . At the time , he was considered a moderate on racial issues . As a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention , he did not join the Dixiecrat walkout at the convention , despite his opposition to U.S. President Harry S. Truman 's proposed civil rights program . Wallace considered it an infringement on states ' rights . The Dixiecrats carried Alabama in the 1948 general election , having rallied behind Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina . In his 1963 inaugural speech as governor , Wallace excused his failure to walk out of the 1948 convention on political grounds
1948 Democratic National Convention
1948 Democratic National Convention
George Wallace