Hubert H. Humphrey

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

Presidential and Vice-Presidential ambitions (1960-1969)

Humphrey ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960, but lost to Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy. He was elected Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket with Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and served from January 20, 1965, until January 20, 1969. As Vice President, Humphrey was controversial for his complete and vocal loyalty to Johnson and the policies of the Johnson Administration, even as many of Humphrey's liberal admirers opposed Johnson with increasing fervor about the Vietnam War. Even Humphrey's nickname, the Happy Warrior, was used against him. The nickname referred not to hawkishness but rather Humphrey's crusading for social programs.

Related Topics:
Democratic - Presidential - 1960 - Massachusetts - Senator - John F. Kennedy - Vice President of the United States - Lyndon Johnson - January 20 - 1965 - 1969 - Vietnam War

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In Germany, Humphrey indirectly earned fame during an April 1967 visit when a plan of some Hippies to make a mess with chocolate pudding of a place where Humphrey was to speak was foiled by the police. The would-be vandals were dubbed "assassins" and "ten little Oswalds" in some widely-read right-leaning German newspapers; this characterization sparked riots by left-wing student activists. This "pudding assassination" thus became an early defining moment of the German part of the May 1968 movement, many of whose leaders moved into national politics later.

Related Topics:
Germany - 1967 - Hippies - Assassin - Oswalds - May 1968

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In 1968, the 22nd amendment did not disqualify LBJ from running for a second term, even though he succeeded into the presidency, because there were only 14 months remaining in Kennedy's term. However, after he announced that he would not run for a second term, Humphrey ran for President of the United States winning the United States Democratic Party nomination at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, amid riots and protests by antiwar demonstrators, some of whom favored Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, or other protest candidates. Humphrey lost the 1968 election to Richard M. Nixon. His campaign was hurt because Humphrey had secured the Presidential nomination without winning a single primary. (In later years, changes in party rules made such an outcome virtually impossible.)

Related Topics:
1968 - 22nd amendment - President of the United States - United States Democratic Party - 1968 Democratic National Convention - Eugene McCarthy - George McGovern - The 1968 election - Richard M. Nixon - Primary

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While he was Vice President, Hubert Humphrey was the subject of a satirical song by songwriter/musician Tom Lehrer entitled "Whatever Became of Hubert?" ("I wonder how many people here tonight remember Hubert Humphrey. He used to be a senator..."). The song addressed how some liberals and progressives felt let down by how Humphrey, who had become a much more mute figure as Vice President than he had been as a senator. The song goes "Whatever became of Hubert? Has anyone heard a thing? Once he shone on his own, now he sits home alone and waits for the phone to ring. Once a fiery liberal spirit, ah, but now when he speaks he must clear it. ..."

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