Hubert Humphrey Biography

(38th Vice President of the United States (1965-1969))

Birthday: May 27, 1911 (Gemini)

Born In: Wallace, South Dakota, United States

Hubert Humphrey was an American statesman who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States, from 1965 to 1969, in the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson. Highly recognized as an orator, Humphrey was among the nation’s most prominent liberal politicians of his time who debated tirelessly for laws addressing issues of civil rights and nuclear disarmament. Born to a pharmacist in South Dakota, Humphrey studied in public schools and later earned a pharmacist’s license from the Capitol College of Pharmacy in Denver. After running his family drugstore with his father for few years, he graduated from the University of Minnesota and then completed his masters in political science from the Louisiana State University. While working as a college instructor, he also led several wartime government agencies and soon gravitated towards politics. Later, Humphrey became the Mayor of Minneapolis, serving until he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1948. He served as a Senator until 1964 when he was chosen to be the U.S. Vice President on the ticket headed by President Lyndon Johnson. After serving a full four-year term, Humphrey made a run for the president but lost by a narrow margin to Richard Nixon. Thereafter, Humphrey returned to the U.S. Senate in 1971 where he served for the next eight years until his death from cancer. Humphrey was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his remarkable contributions to national as well as international politics.
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr.

Died At Age: 66

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Muriel Humphrey Brown

father: Hubert Humphrey Sr.

mother: Ragnild Kristine Sannes

children: Douglas Humphrey, Nancy Faye Humphrey, Robert Humphrey, Skip Humphrey

Vice Presidents Political Leaders

political ideology: Political party - Democratic

Died on: January 13, 1978

place of death: Waverly, Minnesota, United States

U.S. State: South Dakota

Ancestry: Norwegian American, British American

Notable Alumni: Capitol College Of Pharmacy

Ideology: Democrats

Founder/Co-Founder: Americans for Democratic Action, Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

More Facts

education: University Of Minnesota, Louisiana State University, Capitol College Of Pharmacy

Childhood & Early Life
Hubert Horatio Humphrey was born on May 27, 1911, in Wallace, South Dakota, U.S., to Hubert H. Humphrey Sr., a pharmacist, and his wife, Christine Sannes.
He received his early education from local public schools and then attended the University of Minnesota for a year before returning to help manage his father's drugstore. Subsequently, he went to the Capitol College of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado, and earned a pharmacist’s license in 1933.
After working in his family drugstore for several years, he again went to the University of Minnesota and graduated with an arts degree in 1939. The following year, he obtained masters in political science degree from the Louisiana State University.
In 1940, he returned to the University of Minnesota and worked as an instructor for a year. Alongside, Humphrey also oversaw the Works Progress Administration and over the next few years, he held a series of positions in several wartime government agencies, including the War Manpower Commission.
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Career
In 1944, Hubert Humphrey served as the manager of the Minnesota campaign for President Franklin Roosevelt and put in a lot of effort in merging the state’s Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties.
After running unsuccessfully for the Mayor of Minneapolis in 1943, Humphrey made a second attempt for the post in 1945 and was elected this time. He served as the Mayor of Minneapolis until 1948.
In 1948, Humphrey was elected to the United States Senate after his rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention to include a strong civil rights plank in the party's platform.
He was re-elected to the senate in 1954 and 1960, thereby serving at the post for almost 16 years. From 1961 to 1964, Humphrey also served as the 14th United States Senate Majority Whip.
At the Democratic National Convention in 1964, Humphrey was chosen as Lyndon Johnson's running mate; Lyndon Johnson was Democratic Party’s nominee for President. In January 1965, Humphrey was inaugurated as the 38th Vice President of the United States, where he served for the next four years, completing his term in 1969.
As Vice President, Humphrey chaired the National Advisory Council of the Peace Corps, and also served as the coordinator of the antipoverty program. He was also the chairman of the Civil Rights Council and worked to pass the Voting Rights Act.
In the 1968 elections, Humphrey served as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate but was defeated narrowly by Richard M. Nixon. After the defeat, Humphrey returned to Minnesota, pursuing his interest in education by teaching at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota.
In 1971, he was re-elected as a Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party candidate to the United States Senate from Minnesota, a capacity in which he served until his death in 1978. He also served as the first Deputy President pro tempore of the senate from 1977 to 1978.
Major Works
During his term as the Mayor of Minneapolis, Humphrey worked hard to change the communal atmosphere in his state. Through political and legislative action, he tried to abolish the unfair policies and practices in Minnesota which included anti-Semitism and discrimination against blacks and other minorities.
While serving in the Senate, Humphrey was known as an active and candid orator who was outspoken on issues of civil rights, social welfare, and fair employment. An able parliamentary leader and prolific architect of legislation, he was much-admired for realizing bipartisan support for the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (1963) and the Civil Rights Act (1964).
Awards & Achievements
In 1978, Humphrey was conferred the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official.
In 1979, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and the following year, Humphrey was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1936, after two years of dating, Hubert Humphrey married Muriel Fay Buck, a bookkeeper. They had four children together; three sons and a daughter. The couple remained married until Humphrey's death.
Hubert Humphrey died of bladder cancer on January 13, 1978, at his home in Waverly, Minnesota, U.S. He was buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

See the events in life of Hubert Humphrey in Chronological Order

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- Hubert Humphrey Biography
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