Who is Governor George Wallace from A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr and what is their importance?

Governor George Wallace was governor of Alabama during the height of the battle for desegregation. He blatantly refused to bow to the federal government's decree that the state be desegregated, and he subsequently stood in front of the door to the University of Alabama to prevent black students from registering. Wallace was deeply opposed to racial justice.