Humphrey, Hubert H.

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Horatio) (1911–78) vice-president, U.S. senator; born in Wallace, S.D. He worked as a registered pharmacist before studying political science. He was mayor of Minneapolis (1946–49) and a U.S. senator (1949–64). He worked for civil rights and welfare programs while in the Senate and ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960. In 1964, he was chosen by Lyndon Johnson as his running mate, but as vice-president, he was handicapped by Johnson's insistence on his loyalty in all policy matters. In 1968, he won the Democratic presidential nomination but was defeated narrowly in the election by Richard Nixon. He returned to the Senate in 1971. He ran again for the Democratic nomination in 1972 but was defeated. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1976, but still returned to the Senate. His optimism won admiration during the period before his death in 1978.