Hubert H. Humphrey

:This article is about the US politician. For other people called Hubert Humphrey see Hubert Humphrey (disambig).

Later years (1969-1978)

After leaving the Vice-Presidency, Humphrey kept busy by teaching at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota, and by serving as chairman of board of consultants of the Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.

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Initially he had not planned to return to political life, but an unexpected opportunity changed his mind. Eugene McCarthy, a DFL U.S. Senator from Minnesota who was up for re-election in 1970, realized that he had only a slim chance of winning even re-nomination (he had angered his party by opposing Johnson and Humphrey for the 1968 presidential nomination), and declined to run. Humphrey won the DFL nomination and the election, and returned to the U.S. Senate on January 3, 1971. He was re-elected in 1976, and remained in office until his death.

Related Topics:
Eugene McCarthy - 1970 - 1971 - 1976

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In 1972, Humphrey once again ran for the Democratic nomination for president. He was defeated by Senator George McGovern in several primaries, and was trailing in delegates at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. His hopes rested on challenges to the credentials of some of the McGovern delegates. For example, the Humphrey forces argued that the winner-take-all rule for the California primary violated procedural reforms intended to produce a better reflection of the popular vote. The effort failed, as several votes on delegate credentials went McGovern's way, guaranteeing his victory. Humphrey also briefly considered mounting a campaign for the Democratic nomination from the Convention once again in 1976, when the primaries seemed likely to result in a deadlock, but ultimately decided against it.

Related Topics:
1972 - George McGovern - 1972 Democratic National Convention - Miami Beach, Florida - California

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Humphrey ran for Majority Leader after the 1976 election but lost to Robert Byrd of West Virginia. The Senate honored Humphrey by creating the post of Deputy President pro tempore of the Senate for him. On August 16, 1977, Humphrey revealed that he had terminal cancer. On October 25, 1977, he addressed the Senate, and on November 3, 1977, Humphrey became the first person other than a Member or the President to address the House of Representatives in session. President Carter honored him by giving him command of Air Force One for his final trip to Washington on October 23. One of Humphrey's speeches contained the lines "It was once said that the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped," which is sometimes described as the "liberals' mantra."

Related Topics:
Robert Byrd - West Virginia - Deputy President pro tempore - August 16 - 1977 - President Carter - Air Force One

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After Humphrey's death at home in Waverly, Minnesota, he lay in state in the rotundas of both the U.S. Capitol and the Minnesota State Capitol. His body was interred in Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Related Topics:
Waverly, Minnesota - U.S. Capitol - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980.

Related Topics:
Presidential Medal of Freedom - 1980

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