In October of 1968, one of the most contentious presidential campaigns in American history drew to a close. Senator Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated in June, and the Vietnam War continued to fuel massive demonstrations throughout the country. On October 17, American Independent Party candidate George C. Wallace, the controversial former governor of Alabama, addressed an estimated 5,000 people from the steps of the Courthouse in Evansville after spending the night in the McCurdy Hotel. Promising to end the war if elected, Wallace inspired both cheers and heckling, and the rally was marred by fights and other disturbances. Richard Nixon won the election, but Wallace would run again in 1972.Â
