Long after he left the governorship of Alabama, George Wallace -- the leading segregationist of the Jim Crow era -- apologized and repented for his racism. Among the statements he regretted was his famous vow in his 1963 inaugural address: "segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
It was Wallace's escalation of the civil rights battle in 1963, among other things, that brought 200,000 marchers to Washington.