Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician and statesman. He served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Before becoming vice president, he was a United States senator from Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and again from 1971 to 1978.
Hubert Humphrey | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1965 | |
| 38th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office January 20, 1965 – January 20, 1969 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Spiro Agnew |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 13, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Eugene McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Muriel Humphrey |
| In office January 3, 1949 – December 30, 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph H. Ball |
| Succeeded by | Walter Mondale |
| 14th United States Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1961 – December 30, 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Mansfield |
| Succeeded by | Russell B. Long |
| 1st Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office 1977–1978 | |
| President | Sen. James Eastland |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | George J. Mitchell (1987) |
| 35th Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| In office July 2, 1945 – November 30, 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Marvin L. Kline |
| Succeeded by | Eric G. Hoyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 27, 1911 Wallace, South Dakota |
| Died | January 13, 1978 (aged 66) Waverly, Minnesota |
| Political party | Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor |
| Spouse(s) | Muriel Buck Humphrey |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota, Drew College of Pharmacy and Louisiana State University |
| Signature |  |
Early life
changeHumphrey was born in a room over his father's drugstore in Wallace, South Dakota.[1] He was the son of Ragnild Kristine Sannes (1883–1973), a Norwegian immigrant, and Hubert Humphrey, Sr. (1882–1949). Humphrey spent most of his childhood in Doland, South Dakota, on the Dakota prairie; the town's population was about 600 people when he lived there. His father was a licensed pharmacist who was mayor and a town council member.[2] In the late 1920s a severe economic decline hit Doland; both of the town's banks closed and Humphrey's father fought to keep his drugstore business open.[3]
After his son graduated from Doland's high school, Hubert Humphrey, Sr. left Doland and opened a new drugstore in the larger town of Huron, South Dakota; a population of 11,000 people, where he hoped to improve his fortunes. Because of the family's financial struggles, Humphrey had to leave the University of Minnesota after just one year. He earned a pharmacist's license from the Capitol College of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado (completing a two-year licensure program in just six months), and spent years from 1931 to 1937 helping his father run the family drugstore.[4] Over time the Humphrey Drug Company became a financial gain business and the family again succeeded.
Humphrey did not enjoy working as a pharmacist, and his dream was to earn a doctorate in political science and become a college professor. In 1937 he returned to the University of Minnesota and earned a bachelor's degree in 1939. He was a member of Phi Delta Chi Fraternity.[5] He also earned a master's degree from Louisiana State University in 1940, serving as an assistant instructor of political science. One of his classmates was Russell B. Long, who would become a U.S. Senator from Louisiana. He then became an instructor and doctoral student at the University of Minnesota from 1940 to 1941 (joining the American Federation of Teachers), and was a supervisor for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Humphrey soon became active in Minneapolis politics, and as a result he never finished his PhD.He died of Bladder cancer in Waverley Minnesota at age 66
Political career
changeHumphrey was a United States Senator from Minnesota twice, and was Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Americans for Democratic Action. He was also mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1945–1949.
1968 election
changeHumphrey began his campaign for president after President Lyndon B. Johnson ended his re-election campaign in March 1968. A few months later, Humphrey was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the United States presidential election but narrowly lost to the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon.
Death
changeHubert Humphrey died of bladder cancer in Minnesota at age 66
References
change- ↑ Solberg, Carl (1984); Hubert Humphrey: A Biography; Borealis Books; ISBN 0-87351-473-4. See p.35.
- ↑ (Solberg, p. 41)
- ↑ (Solberg, p. 44)
- ↑ (Solberg, p. 48)
- ↑ "Phi Delta Chi - Iota". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2013-02-23.