Manuscripts Collection
Humphrey began his political career as mayor of Minneapolis (1945-1948), and served as United States Senator from 1949 to 1964 and again from 1971 until his death in 1978. He was Vice President of the United States from 1965 to 1969. A leading liberal, he is perhaps best-known as a champion of civil rights, but also for his association with the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War as a member of the Johnson Administration.
Humphrey married Muriel Buck in 1936, and the couple had four children. He died of cancer at his home in Waverly, Minnesota on January 13, 1978.
Materials from Humphrey’s mayoral service include correspondence, reports, background materials, campaign files, and other files documenting the role and duties of the mayor and the general governance of the city.
The files documenting his Senatorial terms include general and legislative correspondence and campaign, academy, legislative, political, research, and trip files.
Vice presidential materials include administrative office and control files, general correspondence, inauguration documents, invitations, meetings and conference materials, and speech research and public relations files. There are also subject files covering such topics as agriculture; arts and humanities; business, economics, and urban affairs; civil and human rights; commodities; congress; education and welfare; employment assistance; federal agencies; foreign affairs; health and sports; legislation; messages; national security and defense; natural resources and parks; outer space; political affairs; postal service; poverty and youth; staff and research; states and territories; trips; veterans affairs; and welfare.
Also found in the papers are series on Humphrey’s 1968 Presidential campaign, his successful 1970 campaign for the seat of retiring Minnesota senator Eugene McCarthy, his personal and family life, his autobiography, and career-spanning series of legislative records, newspaper clippings, speech appearance files and speech texts, photographs, and office staff memoranda.
Additional Files consist of unprocessed senatorial, vice presidential, political, personal, press, and other material, much of which was received by the Minnesota Historical Society after processing of the original collection was completed.
Microfilm copies of many of Humphrey's public speeches and of materials relating to the 1968 Presidential campaign, and to Humphrey-related sound and visual materials, are cataloged separately.
Paper finding aids to microfilm copies of many of Humphrey's public speeches and of materials relating to the 1968 Presidential campaign, and to Humphrey-related sound and visual materials, are available in the repository.
Access to the Reserve Materials and to a portion of the Personal and Family Papers is restricted. See the respective series-level finding aids for further details.
Additional Files: VIP Correspondence may only be used at the Special Use table. Consult the reference staff for more information.
Accession number: Many, see separate Humphrey, Hubert H. accession file
Digital masters are maintained on the Society's secure digital collections storage servers and are managed and preserved in accordance with archival best practices.
The original sound recordings were disposed of after they were digitally reformatted into WAV files.
Digital audio transferred from the master sound reels by the Minnesota Historical Society for preservation purposes.
Digitization was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.
Catalog ID number: 990069516070104294
The following listings link to detailed finding aids for each of the collection's series.
Includes digital content.
Includes digital content.
Includes digital content.