and that, for nearly 25 years, he and Mrs. Gore made the most of their lives in the Washington spotlight. Still, these friends said that the Gores now seem as content as they have ever been. "Al and Tipper were the happily married couple of American politics for 30 years," Mr. Coehlo said. "They packaged themselves that way for political consumption, and now they have unpackaged that image in the interest of their own happiness. "They are still a family, but they have become the kind of family that they want to be." Kitty Bennett contributed research. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: September 2, 2012 An article last week about Al Gore and his family referred incorrectly to Tom Styron, chairman of the Association to Benefit Children, a nonprofit group whose board includes Mr. Gore's daughter Karenna Gore Schiff. He is a clinical psychologist, not a psychiatrist. A version of this article appeared in print on August 26, 2012, on page ST 1 of the New York edition with the headline: The End Of the Line.