Hubert H. Humphrey

WHO WAS HUBERT H. HUMPHREY?

Hubert H. Humphrey was born in Wallace, South Dakota and spent most of his youth in    Doland, South Dakota.  He attended the University of Minnesota but left after only one year because of his family’s financial difficulties.  Humphrey earned a pharmacist’s license from Capitol College of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado and from 1930 – 1937 helped his father run the family pharmacy.  In 1937 he returned to the University of Minnesota and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1939.  He also earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University.  Humphrey became an instructor and doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in 1940 and soon became active in Minneapolis politics.

In 1936 Humphrey married Muriel Buck and they remained married until his death nearly 42 years later.

Humphrey ran for mayor of Minneapolis in 1945 and won the election, serving as mayor until 1949.  In 1948 Humphrey was elected to the United States Senate to represent the state of Minnesota.  He was re-elected in 1954 and again in 1960.  He left the Senate in 1964 to run for Vice President of the United States on the Johnson/Humphrey ticket, which won the election.  Humphrey took office on January 20, 1965.  He ran for President in 1968 and lost to Richard Nixon by a slim margin. In 1971 Humphrey returned to the Senate and was re-elected in 1976, serving until he passed away from cancer on January 13, 1978.

Hubert Humphrey, former Minneapolis mayor, U.S. Senator and U.S. Vice President, loved Minnesota. He was a big sports fan and rooted for the Vikings and Twins every chance he got. Because of his dedication to the state and to teamwork, the Metrodome was named in his honor -- The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.