Former Alabama First Lady Cornelia Wallace Dies In Sebring

The widow of former Gov. George Wallace died Thursday at Kenilworth Care & Rehab Center. Cornelia Marion Ellis Wallace was 69.

The Alabama first lady may be best known for throwing herself across her husband's body after he was shot in a May 15, 1972 assassination attempt.

But her son, James Snively of Lake Placid, talked about the private woman whose passion was volunteering to help mentally handicapped people and convincing women to have pap smears.

"Her stepdaughters, Peggy Sue and Lee, both had a passion for mentally handicapped children," Snively said.

And ironically, she died from cancer. Her father also died of cancer when Cornelia was 21.

James Snively and his brothers were in school when they heard about their step-father's shooting. They didn't question why their mother covered his wounded body with her own.

"It didn't surprise me at all," Snively said. "That's just the kind of wife and mother she was. She would protect her husband and her children in any way. We talked to her about that, and she said that was just the first thing that went through her mind, 'He's vulnerable and I need to protect him.'"

When she came here about a year ago, Wallace lived in Sunny Hills Assisted Living Facility. In November, cancer forced her to move to Kenilworth Care. Before that, she lived in Winter Haven, near her other two sons, Joshua and Jack.

Early Life

Cornelia Wallace was the niece of two-term Gov. James E. "Big Jim" Folsom. The dark-haired beauty, known simply as "C'nelia," married George Wallace on Jan. 4, 1971. Days later, he began his second term as governor. It was the second marriage for both.

The union marked a merger between Alabama's two most famous political families and surprised some because George Wallace had defeated Jim Folsom in the 1962 governor's race.

She was accompanying her husband on the Democratic campaign trial for president when Arthur Bremer shot Governor Wallace four times at a shopping center campaign rally in Laurel, Md. A news camera captured photos of Cornelia Wallace throwing herself over her husband's body to shield him as he lay bleeding in a parking lot.

"She's etched in Alabamians' memory because of the tragedy of that," said Joe Turnham, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.

William Stewart, a longtime political scientist at the University of Alabama, remains impressed by her bravery during the shooting and her loyalty to her husband during his long recovery from the wounds that left his legs paralyzed.

"I don't know if he would have made it without her," Stewart said. "She was totally devoted to him. It was beautiful to see."

The Wallaces divorced in 1978. She entered the Democratic primary for governor in 1978, but never campaigned hard and finished last among 13 candidates. She later moved to central Florida.

In 1997, Turner Network Television made "George Wallace" and cast actress Angelina Jolie to portray Cornelia Wallace. The role earned Jolie a Golden Globe award for best supporting actress in a TV movie or miniseries, but Wallace criticized the script for portraying her as a shallow sex kitten.

"When we watched that, we didn't realize who (Jolie) was," Snively said. But he said, he mother was "absolutely beautiful." She once reached the semifinals of the Miss Alabama contest.

"She was a very special lady, and a daughter of Alabama," her son said.

She was also talented. As a young woman, she played the piano and guitar. She went with Roy Acuff to sing in Australia, and wanted to pursue that, but the road led her to Rollins College in Orlando.

She loved water skiing, and was a paid performer at Cypress Gardens. She married John Snively III, a millionaire whose family once owned the Gardens.

Snively didn't realize his mother, who had divorced and returned to Alabama, was dating the governor. They kept their relationship quiet.

"The next thing we knew, we were moving into the governor's mansion," Snively said.

Viewing will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Oak Ridge Funeral Care, 2425 W. Havendale Blvd. in Winter Haven. Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven, 637 Sixth St. NW. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 316 E. Park Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32301.

Survivors include a brother, Charles Ellis of Elba, Ala.; her son and daughter-in-law Jack and Kim Snively of Winter Haven and their daughters Addison and Keagan; son and daughter-in-law James and Jeannie Snively of Lake Placid, and their children Riley, Sydney and Ansley; and son and daughter-in-law Joshua Snively of Winter Haven and their three sons, Austin, Tyler and Hunter.

Associated Press writer Phillip Rawls contributed to this story