Hubert Humphrey

Hubert Humphrey
Library of Congress · Public domain · source
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, 1949
Term end1	December 29, 1964
Predecessor1	Joseph H. Ball
Successor1	Walter Mondale
Office2	Mayor of Minneapolis
Term start2	July 2, 1945
Term end2	November 30, 1948
Predecessor2	Marvin L. Kline
Successor2	Eric G. Hoyer
Birth date	27 May 1911
Birth place	Wallace, South Dakota, U.S.
Death date	13 January 1978
Death place	Waverly, Minnesota, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Muriel Humphrey, 1936
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 and as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota. A leading figure in the Democratic Party for decades, he is most remembered for his lifelong, passionate advocacy for civil and political rights, playing a pivotal role in the legislative battles of the Civil Rights Movement.

Early Life and Political Beginnings

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was born in Wallace, South Dakota, in 1911. His early experiences during the Great Depression and his education at the University of Minnesota and Louisiana State University shaped his progressive worldview. After working as a professor and for the Works Progress Administration, he entered politics, becoming Mayor of Minneapolis in 1945. As mayor, he gained national attention for combating antisemitism and racial discrimination, establishing one of the nation's first municipal fair employment practices commissions. This early work positioned him as a rising star in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

1948 Democratic National Convention and Civil Rights

Humphrey's national reputation was forged at the 1948 Democratic National Convention. As a leader of the party's liberal faction, he delivered a historic speech urging the convention to adopt a strong civil rights plank into the party platform, famously declaring, "The time has arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and to walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights." His successful effort caused a major schism, leading to the walkout of many Southern Democrats who formed the Dixiecrat party and nominated Strom Thurmond for president. This moment was a critical turning point, aligning the national Democratic Party with the Civil Rights Movement.

Senate Career and Civil Rights Advocacy

Elected to the United States Senate in 1948, Humphrey became one of its most vocal advocates for liberal legislation. He was a co-founder of the Democratic Study Group and served as Senate Majority Whip. His most significant achievements were in civil rights. He was a principal author and floor manager of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, skillfully navigating the bill through a protracted filibuster led by Southern Democrats like Richard Russell Jr.. He played a similarly crucial role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act). Humphrey also championed the creation of the Peace Corps, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the Food for Peace program.

Vice Presidency under Lyndon B. Johnson

Selected by President Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate in 1964, Humphrey served as Vice President from 1965 to 1969. In this role, he was a key ambassador for the administration's Great Society and War on Poverty programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. He tirelessly promoted the civil rights agenda domestically and internationally. However, his unwavering loyalty to Johnson's increasingly unpopular policy in the Vietnam War deeply damaged his standing with the anti-war left of the Democratic Party, creating a rift that would define his later career.

1968 Presidential Campaign and Civil Rights

Humphrey won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 following the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.. His campaign was hamstrung by his association with the Vietnam War and the violent protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On civil rights, his record was sterling, but he struggled to unite a party fractured by the war. He narrowly lost the election to Richard Nixon in part because of defections to segregationist American Independent Party candidate George Wallace. His late-breaking call for a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam nearly secured his victory, highlighting how the war overshadowed his civil rights legacy.

Later Career and Legacy on Civil Rights

After his defeat, Humphrey returned to the United States Senate in 1974, serving until his death in Congress. He continued to advocate for liberal causes, earning the moniker, the "Senate's happy warrior." He continued to advocate for liberal causes, serving until his death in 1978. He was posthumously awarded the Senate's highest honor, the "Senate'self-1, 1978. He was posthumously awarded the Senate and the nation. He died of cancer. He was a Democratic and the 1968 election. He was a key architect of the 1964. He was a key architect of the 1964. He was a key architect of the, the "He died of cancer. He died of cancer and the 1964. He was a key architect of the 1964. He was aCategory:Hubert Humphrey and the 1964. He was a key architect of the 1964. He was a Category:Vice Presidents of the United States and the 1964. He was a Category:Category: 1968 United States presidential election and the 1964.