I was just a few years old when Hubert H. Humphrey ran for president during the tumultuous 1968 Democratic primary race. Somehow, his name must have struck a chord, because even though I was five, I remember campaigning for him in my neighborhood, shouting his name as I wheeled my wagon around looking for lost treasures. I had no idea about his politics, or any politics; I just liked his name.
Fortunately, in hindsight, it looks like he was a pretty decent choice and certainly would have been better than Richard Nixon, who won in the general election.
But while Humphrey never moved into the White House, he had an immense impact on our nation through his work as a U.S. Senator. PBS Distribution has a wonderful documentary now available about his career, called Hubert Humphrey: The Art of the Possible.
The documentary does a terrific job of pointing out the important contributions of this former Minneapolis, Minn., mayor. He worked on civil-rights and Cold war issues, often behind the scenes, but he was also not afraid to take on the establishment in public.
As PBS states: “Humphrey left behind a legacy few presidents can match. As a soldier of the New Deal and the Great Society, he amassed one of the most prolific legislative records in senate history, sponsoring hundreds of bills—from Medicare to the Peace Corps to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. But Humphrey’s most enduring achievements were in the areas of civil and human rights. Propelled to party prominence during the 1948 Democratic National Convention, the 37-year-old mayor of Minneapolis delivered an historic speech directly challenging the racist leadership of the U.S. Senate. Almost two decades later, Humphrey’s extensive network of church and civil rights leaders helped him to break the longest filibuster in senate history, resulting in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
Yes, Humphrey was in some ways a “Forrest Gump” of the era, in the right place, and doing the right thing, at the right time, even well before it was popular. His actions alienated much of the southern Democrats, who eventually left the party because of their hatred of equal rights for Blacks.
While Humphrey died in the 1970s, before gay rights became more politically popular, it is likely he would have also been an ally of our movement as well. His legacy is incredible, and this film is an excellent refresher course on a man that stood firm in his beliefs. He was a true hero of his time. I just wish I could have voted for him in 1968.
The DVD runs about two hours and costs $24.99. See www.shopPBS.org.