Hubert Humphrey

Hubert Humphrey
Name	Hubert Humphrey
Caption	Humphrey in 1964
Office	38th Vice President of the United States
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Term start	January 20, 1965
Term end	January 20, 1969
Predecessor	Lyndon B. Johnson
Successor	Spiro Agnew
Office1	United States Senator from Minnesota
Term start1	January 3, 1971
Term end1	January 13, 1978
Predecessor1	Eugene McCarthy
Successor1	Muriel Humphrey
Term start2	January 3, 1949
Term end2	December 29, 1964
Predecessor2	Joseph H. Ball
Successor2	Walter Mondale
Office3	Mayor of Minneapolis
Term start3	July 2, 1945
Term end3	November 30, 1948
Predecessor3	Marvin L. Kline
Successor3	Eric G. Hoyer
Birth date	May 27, 1911
Birth place	Wallace, South Dakota
Death date	January 13, 1978 (aged 66)
Death place	Waverly, Minnesota
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Muriel Humphrey
Children	4, including Hubert Humphrey III
Education	University of Minnesota (BA), Louisiana State University (MA)

Hubert Humphrey was an American politician who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969. A titan of Senate liberalism, he was a co-founder of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party in his home state of Minnesota and a champion of civil rights, social programs, and nuclear arms control. His political career, spanning from the Mayor of Minneapolis to the United States Senate and the vice presidency, was defined by his passionate oratory and unwavering commitment to progressive ideals, though his legacy was also shaped by his controversial support for the Vietnam War.

Early life and education

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was born in a modest apartment above his father's pharmacy in Wallace, South Dakota. His early life in the rural Great Plains during the Great Depression profoundly influenced his views on economic justice and government's role in social welfare. He attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, but left during the Great Depression to help manage the family drugstore in Huron, South Dakota. He later returned to the University of Minnesota, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1939. He pursued graduate studies at the Louisiana State University, where he earned a master's degree and was deeply influenced by the political science teachings of professors like Eric F. Goldman, while also witnessing the stark realities of racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Political career

Humphrey's political ascent began with his election as Mayor of Minneapolis in 1945, where he gained national attention for combating corruption and anti-Semitism, notably through the establishment of the nation's first municipal Fair Employment Practices Commission. In 1948, he was elected to the United States Senate, where his impassioned speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia led to the adoption of a strong civil rights plank in the party platform, prompting the Dixiecrat walkout led by Strom Thurmond. In the Senate, he was a key architect of major legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the creation of the Peace Corps, the Food for Peace program, and the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He served as Senate Majority Whip from 1961 to 1964.

Vice presidency (1965–1969)

As Vice President under Lyndon B. Johnson, Humphrey chaired the NASA Council and the President's Council on Youth Opportunity. He was a tireless advocate for the administration's Great Society programs, including Medicare, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Model Cities Program. However, his tenure was increasingly dominated by the escalating Vietnam War. His steadfast, vocal support for Johnson's policies, despite private reservations, deeply fractured his base among liberal Democrats and the anti-war movement, damaging his national standing and future presidential prospects.

1968 presidential election

After Lyndon B. Johnson's shocking withdrawal from the race, Humphrey entered the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries but was largely absent from the primary contests, securing the nomination through support from party leaders at the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His campaign, hampered by his association with the unpopular war and violent protests outside the convention hall, never fully recovered. He narrowly lost the general election to Republican nominee Richard Nixon, with a third-party challenge from American Independent Party candidate George Wallace siphoning key Democratic votes in the Southern United States.

Later Senate career and death

Returning to Minnesota, Humphrey was re-elected to the United States Senate in 1970. In his final term, he authored the Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act, championed improved relations with the Soviet Union, and advocated for universal health care. He made a final, unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972, losing to George McGovern. In 1976, he was appointed Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate. After a long battle with bladder cancer, he died at his home in Waverly, Minnesota on January 13, 1978. His wife, Muriel Humphrey, was appointed to serve the remainder of his Senate term.

Legacy and honors

Humphrey is remembered as one of the most influential and effective legislators of the 20th century, a principal force behind the modern civil rights movement and the expansion of the social safety net. Major institutions bear his name, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. His legacy, often summarized by his famous declaration that "the moral test of government is how it treats those in the dawn of life, the children; those in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those in the shadows of life," remains a touchstone for American progressivism, even as his support for the Vietnam War remains a significant point of historical critique.

Category:1911 births Category:1978 deaths Category:Vice presidents of the United States Category:United States senators from Minnesota