the last book I ever read (The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan, excerpt ten)

from The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan by Laurence Leamer:

In 1961, when Wallace was planning to run for governor, Lurleen had been diagnosed with cancer. Her physician told her husband of the diagnosis but not his patient. George withheld almost everything from his wife, including the fundamental facts of her health. So four years later when Lurleen’s doctor told her she had uterine cancer, she did not realize it was a recurrence. She had a hysterectomy that sought to remove all the malignancy, but Lurleen was in a weakened, vulnerable state. She was, however, a self-effacing, self-sacrificing woman who lived for her children and her husband. If George wanted her to run, she would run.

Given his wife’s condition, Wallace might have sought another paper candidate, but he was perfectly willing to risk his wife’s health and perhaps her life so that he might have control over the governorship for another four years.