Editing Hubert Humphrey (section)

==Vice presidency (1965–1969)==
[[File:Hubert Humphrey 1965.jpg|thumb|Vice President Humphrey at a meeting in the [[Oval Office]], {{circa|June 21, 1965}}]]
Humphrey took office on January 20, 1965,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mctKh-DcEOY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/mctKh-DcEOY| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Inauguration of the President and Vice President, 1/20/1965|last=TheLBJLibrary|date=August 2, 2012|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ending the 14-month vacancy of the vice president of the United States, which had remained empty when then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency after the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] in November 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbjlibrary.org/press/lbj-in-the-news/looking-back-january-20-1965|title=Looking back – January 20, 1965|publisher=lbjlib.utexas.edu|date=January 11, 2013|access-date=May 30, 2013|archive-date=May 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517074444/http://www.lbjlibrary.org/press/lbj-in-the-news/looking-back-january-20-1965|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was an early skeptic of the then growing [[Vietnam War]]. Following a successful [[Viet Cong]] hit-and-run [[Attack on Camp Holloway|attack on a U.S. military installation at Pleiku]] on February 7, 1965 (where 7 Americans were killed and 109 wounded), Humphrey returned from Georgia to Washington D.C., to attempt to prevent further escalation.<ref name="T. Hoopes, p31">T. Hoopes, ''The Limits of Intervention'', p. 31.</ref> He told President Johnson that bombing [[North Vietnam]] was not a solution to the problems in [[South Vietnam]], but that bombing would require the injection of US ground forces into South Vietnam to protect the airbases.<ref name="T. Hoopes, p31" /> Presciently, he noted that a military solution in Vietnam would take several years, well beyond the next election cycle. In response to this advice, President Johnson punished Humphrey by treating him coldly and restricting him from his inner circle for a number of months, until Humphrey decided to "get back on the team" and fully support the war effort.<ref name="T. Hoopes, p31" />

As vice president, Humphrey was criticized for his complete and vocal loyalty to Johnson and the policies of the Johnson administration, even as many of his liberal admirers opposed the president's policies with increasing fervor regarding the Vietnam War.<ref name="Humphrey Wilson Center"/> Many of Humphrey's liberal friends and allies abandoned him because of his refusal to publicly criticize Johnson's Vietnam War policies. Humphrey's critics later learned that Johnson had threatened Humphrey – Johnson told Humphrey that if he publicly criticized his policies, he would destroy Humphrey's chances to become president by opposing his nomination at the next Democratic Convention.{{sfn|Solberg|1984|pp=282–284}} However, Humphrey's critics were vocal and persistent: even his nickname, "the Happy Warrior", was used against him. The nickname referred not to his military hawkishness, but rather to his crusading for social welfare and civil rights programs.<ref name="Humphrey Wilson Center"/> After his narrow defeat in the 1968 presidential election, Humphrey wrote that "After four years as Vice-President ... I had lost some of my personal identity and personal forcefulness. ... I ought not to have let a man [Johnson] who was going to be a former President dictate my future."{{sfn|Solberg|1984|p=407}}

While he was vice president, Hubert Humphrey was the subject of a satirical song by songwriter/musician [[Tom Lehrer]] entitled "Whatever Became of Hubert?" The song addressed how some liberals and [[progressivism|progressives]] felt let down by 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. ..." ''

During these years Humphrey was a repeated and favorite guest of [[Johnny Carson]] on ''[[The Tonight Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/122519894.html|title=10 tidbits about Hubert H. Humphrey|author=Kim Ode|work=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]]|date=May 21, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/1967/08/12/1967_08_12_023_TNY_CARDS_000288500|title=The Vice President|author=Lillian Ross|magazine=The New Yorker|date=August 12, 1967}}</ref> He also struck up a friendship with [[Frank Sinatra]], who supported his campaign for president in 1968 before his conversion to the Republican party in the early 1970s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://student.purduecal.edu/~lim80/Meyer.pdf|title=Frank Sinatra: The Popular Front and an American Icon|author=Gerald Meyer|publisher=purduecal.edu|year=2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101131925/http://student.purduecal.edu/~lim80/Meyer.pdf|archive-date=January 1, 2014}}</ref> and was perhaps most on notice in the fall of 1977 when Sinatra was the star attraction and host of a tribute to a then-ailing Humphrey. He also appeared on ''[[The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast]]'' in 1973.

[[File:Gemini 4 Astronauts Meet Yuri Gagarin.jpg|thumb|Humphrey with Soviet cosmonaut [[Yuri Gagarin]] and [[Project Gemini|Gemini 4]] astronauts at the 1965 [[Paris Air Show]]]]
On April 15, 1965, Humphrey delivered an address to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, pledging the incumbent session of Congress would "do more for the lasting long-term health of this nation" since the initial session in office at the time of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] assuming the presidency in 1933 and predicting 13 major measures of President Johnson's administration would be passed ahead of the session's conclusion.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/04/16/page/9/article/editors-hear-humphreys-glowing-forecast-for-u-s|title=Editors Hear Humphrey's Glowing Forecast For U.S.|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=April 16, 1965|access-date=July 17, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814020840/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/04/16/page/9/article/editors-hear-humphreys-glowing-forecast-for-u-s/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In mid-May 1965, Humphrey traveled to [[Dallas]], Texas for an off-the-record discussion with donors of President Johnson's campaign. During the visit, Humphrey was imposed tight security as a result of the JFK assassination a year and a half prior and the mother of [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] was placed under surveillance by Police Chief Cato Hightower.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/05/18/page/31/article/guard-hubert-closely-on-dallas-visit|title=Guard Hubert Closely On Dallas Visit|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 18, 1965|access-date=August 13, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060054/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/05/18/page/31/article/guard-hubert-closely-on-dallas-visit/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During a May 31, 1966, appearance at Huron College, Humphrey said the U.S. should not expect "either friendship or gratitude" in helping poorer countries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/06/01/page/34/article/dont-expect-gratitude-for-aid-humphrey|title=Don't Expect Gratitude for Aid: Humphrey|date=June 1, 1966|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 15, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814055906/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/06/01/page/34/article/dont-expect-gratitude-for-aid-humphrey/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At a September 22, 1966 [[Jamesburg, New Jersey]] Democratic Party fundraiser, Humphrey said the Vietnam War would be shortened if the US stayed firm and hastened the return of troops: "We are making a decision not only to defend Vietnam, we are defending the United States of America."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/09/23/page/7/article/humphrey-answers-heckler-on-viet-nam-war-lssue|title=Humphrey Answers Hecklers on Viet Nam War Issue|date=September 23, 1966|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814054843/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/09/23/page/7/article/humphrey-answers-heckler-on-viet-nam-war-lssue/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During a May 1967 news conference, Humphrey said American anger toward Vietnam was losing traction and that he could see a growth in popularity for President Johnson since a low point five months prior.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19670527&id=H1cmAAAAIBAJ&pg=2381,2801833|title=Humphrey at 56 Gives His Views on Life|first=Robert E.|last=Geiger|work=Gettysburg Times|date=May 27, 1967}}</ref> During an August 2, 1967, appearance in [[Detroit]], Humphrey proposed each state consider forming peacekeeping councils focused on preventing violence, gaining community cooperation, and listening to "the voices of those who have gone unheard."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/08/03/page/1/article/hubert-idea-end-unrest-by-spending|title=Hubert Idea: End Unrest by Spending|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 2, 1967|access-date=May 8, 2017|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604014008/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On November 4, 1967, Humphrey cited [[Malaysia]] as an example of what Vietnam could resemble post a Viet Cong defeat while in [[Jakarta, Indonesia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/11/04/page/4/article/viet-can-win-as-malays-did-humphrey|title=Viet Can Win as Malays Did: Humphrey|date=November 4, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604014008/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The following day, Vice President Humphrey requested Indonesia attempt mediation in the Vietnam War during a meeting with [[Suharto]] at Merdeka palace.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/11/06/page/1/article/new-u-s-peace-bid-told|title=New U.S. Peace Bid Told|date=November 6, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604014009/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On December 7, Vice President Humphrey said in an interview that the Viet Cong could potentially be the factor in creating a political compromise with the government of Saigon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/12/08/page/2/article/hubert-sees-split-in-viet-cong-ranks|title=Hubert Sees Split in Viet Cong Ranks|date=December 8, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604014009/https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Civil rights ===
In February 1965, President Johnson appointed Humphrey to the chairmanship of the President's Council on Equal Opportunity.<ref name=Dallek224 /> The position and board had been proposed by Humphrey, who told Johnson that the board should consist of members of the Cabinet and federal agency leaders and serve multiple roles: assisting agency cooperation, creating federal program consistency, using advanced planning to avoid potential racial unrest, creating public policy, and meeting with local and state level leaders.<ref name=Thurber171>{{cite book|title=The Politics of Equality|pages=171–172|first=Timothy|last=Thurber|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0231110471|year=1999}}</ref> During his tenure, he appointed [[Wiley A Branton]] as executive director.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/12/17/wiley-a-branton-dies/c9857b03-11ec-4494-ad34-9ce2c4dccb40/|title=Wiley A. Branton Dies|first=Joseph D.|last=Whitaker|date=December 17, 1988|newspaper=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> During the first meeting of the group on March 3, Humphrey stated the budget was US$289,000 and pledged to ensure vigorous work by the small staff.<ref name=Thurber171 /> Following the [[Watts riots]] in August of that year, Johnson downsized Humphrey's role as the administration's expert on civil rights. Dallek wrote the shift in role was in line with the change in policy the Johnson administration underwent in response to "the changing political mood in the country on aid to African Americans."<ref name=Dallek224>{{cite book|title=Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961–1973|first=Robert|last=Dallek|page=[https://archive.org/details/flawedgiantlyndo00dall/page/224 224]|isbn=978-0195054651|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1998|url=https://archive.org/details/flawedgiantlyndo00dall/page/224}}</ref> In a private meeting with Joseph Califano on September 18, 1965, President Johnson stated his intent to remove Humphrey from the post of "point man" on civil rights within the administration, believing the vice president was tasked with enough work.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Music Has Gone Out of the Movement: Civil Rights and the Johnson Administration, 1965–1968|first=David C.|last=Carter|year=2012|publisher=The University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0807832806|page=64}}</ref> Days later, Humphrey met with Johnson, Attorney General [[Nicholas Katzenbach]], and [[White House Counsel]] [[Lee C. White]]. Johnson told Humphrey he would shorten his role within the administration's civil rights policies and pass a portion to Katzenbach, Califano writing that Humphrey agreed to go along with the plan reluctantly.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: The White House Years|first=Joseph A.|last=Caulifano|page=56|publisher=Touchstone|isbn=978-1476798790|year=2015}}</ref>

In an August 1967 speech at a county officials national convention in Detroit, Humphrey called for the establishment of a [[Marshall Plan]] that would curb poverty in the United States as well as address racial violence, and advocated for the creation of civil peace councils that would counter rioting. He said the councils should include representation from all minority groups and religions, state governments, the National Guard, and law enforcement agencies and that the United States would see itself out of trouble only when law and order was reestablished.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8_tS2Vw13FcC&dat=19670803&printsec=frontpage|title=Marshall Plan in U.S. Urged By Humphrey|date=August 3, 1967|newspaper=Toledo Blade}}</ref>

=== Foreign trips ===
December 1965 saw the beginning of Humphrey's tour of eastern countries, saying he hoped to have "cordial and frank discussions" ahead of the trip beginning when asked about the content of the talks.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/12/28/page/3/article/humphrey-begins-asian-trip|title=Humphrey Begins Asian Trip|date=December 28, 1965|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 15, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814015822/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/12/28/page/3/article/humphrey-begins-asian-trip/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During a December 29 meeting with [[Prime Minister of Japan]] [[Eisaku Satō]], Humphrey asked the latter for support on achieving peace in the Vietnam War and said it was a showing of strength that the United States wanted a peaceful ending rather than a display of weakness.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/12/29/page/3/article/humphrey-asks-japans-aid|title=Humphrey Asks Japan's Aid|date=December 29, 1969|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 15, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814020150/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/12/29/page/3/article/humphrey-asks-japans-aid/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Humphrey began a European tour in late-March 1967 to mend frazzled relations and indicated that he was "ready to explain and ready to listen."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/03/27/page/11/article/humphrey-begins-europe-tour|title=Humphrey Begins Europe Tour|date=March 27, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814054714/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/03/27/page/11/article/humphrey-begins-europe-tour/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 2, 1967, Vice President Humphrey met with [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] [[Harold Wilson]]. Ahead of the meeting, Humphrey said they would discuss multiple topics including the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, European events, Atlantic alliance strengthening, and "the situation in the Far East".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/03/page/25/article/hubert-and-wilson-begin-world-talks|title=Hubert and Wilson Begin World Talks|date=April 3, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814054845/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/03/page/25/article/hubert-and-wilson-begin-world-talks/|url-status=dead}}</ref> White House Press Secretary [[George Christian (journalist)|George Christian]] said five days later that he had received reports from Vice President Humphrey indicating his tour of the European countries was "very constructive" and said President Johnson was interested in the report as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/08/page/2/article/huberts-tour-described-as-constructive|title=Hubert's Tour Described as Constructive|date=April 8, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814020018/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/08/page/2/article/huberts-tour-described-as-constructive/|url-status=dead}}</ref> While Humphrey was in [[Florence]], Italy on April 1, 1967, 23-year-old Giulio Stocchi threw eggs at the Vice President and missed. He was seized by American bodyguards who turned him in to Italian officers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/02/page/1/article/set-hearing-on-student-transfer|title=2 Eggs Tossed at Humphrey; Just Miss Him|date=April 2, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814015820/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/02/page/1/article/set-hearing-on-student-transfer/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[Brussels, Belgium]] on April 9, demonstrators led by communists threw rotten eggs and fruits at Vice President Humphrey's car, also hitting several of his bodyguards.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/10/page/1/article/brussels-gang-throws-eggs-at-hubert-misses|title=Brussels Gang Throws Eggs at Hubert, Misses|date=April 10, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 7, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814015650/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/04/10/page/1/article/brussels-gang-throws-eggs-at-hubert-misses/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In late-December 1967, Vice President Humphrey began touring Africa.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/12/30/page/12/article/hubert-lands-in-africa-amid-beat-of-drums|title=Hubert Lands in Africa Amid Beat of Drums|date=December 30, 1967|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 8, 2017|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814015643/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1967/12/30/page/12/article/hubert-lands-in-africa-amid-beat-of-drums/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1968 presidential campaign===
{{Main|Hubert Humphrey 1968 presidential campaign}}
[[File:Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon Johnson.jpg|thumb|left|Vice President Hubert Humphrey, President [[Lyndon Johnson]], and General [[Creighton Abrams]] in a Cabinet Room meeting in March 1968]]
As 1968 began, it looked as if President Johnson, despite the rapidly decreasing approval rating of his Vietnam War policies, would easily win the Democratic nomination for a second time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/5a.html|title=THE ELECTION OF 1968|publisher=PBS|date=June 18, 2013}}</ref> Humphrey was widely expected to remain as Johnson's running mate for reelection in 1968.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5YEaNBy203cC&pg=PA203|title=No Way To Pick A President|author=Jules Witcover|isbn=978-0415930314|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1998|author-link=Jules Witcover}}</ref> Johnson was challenged by Senator [[Eugene McCarthy]] of Minnesota, who ran on an [[Opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War|anti-Vietnam War]] platform.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aB8p_0YxneDE|title=Eugene McCarthy, 1968 Anti-War Presidential Candidate, Dies|author=Michael Forsythe|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=December 10, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924143644/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aB8p_0YxneDE|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref> With the backing of out-of-state anti-war college students and activists while campaigning in the [[New Hampshire primary]], McCarthy, who was not expected to be a serious contender for the Democratic nomination, nearly defeated Johnson, finishing with a surprising 42% of the vote to Johnson's 49%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lib.umn.edu/scrbm/mccarthy|title=Eugene J. McCarthy Papers|publisher=University of Minnesota|date=June 18, 2013|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101222844/https://www.lib.umn.edu/scrbm/mccarthy|url-status=dead}}</ref> A few days after the New Hampshire primary, after months of contemplation and originally intending to support Johnson's bid for reelection, Senator [[Robert F. Kennedy]] of New York also entered the race on an anti-war platform.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/06/rfk_excerpt200806#|title=The Last Good Campaign|author=Thurston Clarke|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=June 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220171610/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/06/rfk_excerpt200806|archive-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref> On March 31, a week before the Wisconsin primary, where polls showed a strong standing for McCarthy, Johnson stunned the nation by [[Withdrawal of Lyndon B. Johnson from the 1968 United States presidential election|withdrawing from his race for a second full term]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0331.html|title=Johnson Says He Won't Run|author=Tom Wicker|work=The New York Times|date=March 31, 2013}}</ref>

Humphrey announced his presidential candidacy on April 27.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5a0wf4HHRVgC&pg=PA375|title=The Columbia Guide to America in The 1960s|author=David Rosenthal Farber|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0231113731|year=2003}}</ref> Declaring his candidacy in a speech in Washington, D.C. alongside Senators [[Fred R. Harris|Fred Harris]] of [[Oklahoma]] and [[Walter Mondale]] of Minnesota (who both served as the co-chairs to his campaign), Humphrey stated:

<blockquote>Here we are, just as we ought to be, here we are, the people, here we are the spirit of dedication, here we are the way politics ought to be in America, the politics of happiness, politics of purpose, politics of joy; and that's the way it's going to be, all the way, too, from here on out. We seek an America able to preserve and nurture all the basic rights of free expression, yet able to reach across the divisions that too often separate race from race, region from region, young from old, worker from scholar, rich from poor. We seek an America able to do this in the higher knowledge that our goals and ideals are worthy of conciliation and personal sacrifice.<ref name="UCSB Remarks Declaring Candidacy">{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=77814|title=Remarks Declaring Candidacy for the Democratic Presidential Nomination|author1=Gerhard Peters|author2=John T. Woolley|publisher=University of California|location=Santa Barbara|date=April 27, 1968|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101085101/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=77814|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>

Also in his speech, Humphrey supported Johnson's Vietnam initiative, which Johnson had proposed during his address to the nation four weeks earlier;<ref name="UCSB Remarks Declaring Candidacy"/> partially halting the bombings in North Vietnam, while sending an additional 13,500 troops and increasing the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense's]] budget by 4% over the next fiscal year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/johnson-announces-bombing-halt|title=Vietnam War: Johnson announces bombing halt|publisher=History Channel|date=March 31, 1968|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826104225/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/johnson-announces-bombing-halt|archive-date=August 26, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later in the campaign, Humphrey opposed a proposal by Senators McCarthy and [[George McGovern]] of [[South Dakota]] to the Democratic Convention's Policy Committee, calling for an immediate end to the bombings in Vietnam, an early withdrawal of troops and setting talks for a [[coalition government]] with the Viet Cong.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00442/pdfa/00442-02684.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00442/pdfa/00442-02684.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Meet the Press: America's Press Conference of the Air|publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]]|date=August 25, 1968}}</ref>

[[File:Photograph of Hubert Humphrey and Edmund Muskie at the 1968 Democratic National Convention a.jpg|thumb|Vice President Humphrey (left) and U.S. Senator [[Edmund Muskie]] (right) wave from the podium at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago]]
Many people saw Humphrey as Johnson's stand-in; he won major backing from the nation's labor unions and other Democratic groups troubled by young antiwar protesters and the social unrest around the nation.<ref name="HHH Papers">{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00720/pdf/hhh41.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00720/pdf/hhh41.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=HUBERT H. HUMPHREY PAPERS An Inventory of His 1968 Presidential Campaign Files|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society}}</ref> A group of British journalists wrote that Humphrey, despite his liberal record on civil rights and support for a nuclear test-ban treaty, "had turned into an arch-apologist for the war, who was given to trotting around Vietnam looking more than a little silly in olive-drab fatigues and a forage cap. The man whose name had been a by-word in the South for softness toward Negroes had taken to lecturing black groups ... the wild-eyed reformer had become the natural champion of every conservative element in the Democratic Party."<ref name="Chester, p. 147"/> Humphrey entered the race too late to participate in the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1968|Democratic primaries]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/1968-democratic-convention.html|title=1968 Democratic Convention The Bosses Strike Back|author=Haynes Johnson|work=Smithsonian Magazine|date=August 2008|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-date=August 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828023957/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/1968-democratic-convention.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and concentrated on winning delegates in non-primary states by gaining the support of Democratic officeholders who were elected delegates to the Democratic Convention.<ref name="HHH Papers"/> By June, McCarthy won in Oregon and Pennsylvania, while Kennedy had won in Indiana and Nebraska, though Humphrey was the front runner as he led the delegate count.<ref name="HHH Papers"/><ref name="OMCA">{{cite web|url=http://www.museumca.org/theoaklandstandard/mr-kennedy-and-1968-battle-california|title=Mr. Kennedy and the 1968 Battle for California|author=Matthew Harrison Tedford|publisher=[[Oakland Museum of California]]|date=April 4, 2013|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-date=December 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212144506/http://www.museumca.org/theoaklandstandard/mr-kennedy-and-1968-battle-california|url-status=dead}}</ref> The California primary was crucial for [[Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign, 1968|Kennedy's campaign]], as a McCarthy victory would have prevented Kennedy from reaching the number of delegates required to secure the nomination.<ref name="OMCA"/> On June 4, Kennedy defeated McCarthy by less than 4% in the winner-take-all California primary.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/analysis/back.time/9606/10/|title=For Perspective & Determination|magazine=Time|publisher=CNN|date=June 14, 1968|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703181451/http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/analysis/back.time/9606/10/|archive-date=July 3, 2011}}</ref> But the nation was shocked yet again when [[Robert F. Kennedy assassination|Senator Kennedy was assassinated]] after his victory speech at the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Ambassador Hotel]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://framework.latimes.com/2010/08/10/the-assassination-of-robert-f-kennedy/|title=The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|author=Scott Harrison|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 10, 2010|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730150814/http://framework.latimes.com/2010/08/10/the-assassination-of-robert-f-kennedy/|archive-date=July 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the assassination of Kennedy, Humphrey suspended his campaign for two weeks.{{sfn|Solberg|1984|p=341}}

====Chicago riots and party fallout====
Humphrey did not enter any of the 13 state primary elections,<ref>Jennings & Brewster 1998: 413.</ref> but won the Democratic nomination at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention|party convention]] in Chicago, even though 80 percent of the primary voters had been for antiwar candidates. The delegates defeated the peace plank by {{Fraction|1,567|3|4}} to {{Fraction|1,041|1|4}}.{{sfn|Gitlin|1987|p=331}} Humphrey selected as his running mate U.S. Senator [[Ed Muskie]] of [[Maine]]. Unfortunately for Humphrey and his campaign, in [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]], just five miles south of [[International Amphitheatre]] convention hall, and at other sites near downtown Chicago, there were [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|gatherings and protests]] by thousands of [[Opposition to the Vietnam War|antiwar demonstrators]], many of whom favored McCarthy, [[George McGovern]], or other antiwar candidates. Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]]'s Chicago police attacked and beat these protesters, most of them young college students, which amplified the growing feelings of unrest among the public.
[[File:ElectoralCollege1968.svg|thumb|1968 presidential election results]]

Humphrey's inaction during these incidents, Johnson's and Daley's behind-the-scenes maneuvers,{{sfn|Gitlin|1987|p=331}} public backlash against Humphrey's winning the nomination without entering a single primary, and Humphrey's refusal to meet McCarthy halfway on his demands, resulting in McCarthy's refusal to fully endorse him, highlighted turmoil in the Democratic Party's base that proved to be too much for Humphrey to overcome in time for the general election. The combination of Johnson's unpopularity, the Chicago demonstrations, and the discouragement of liberals and African-Americans after the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] that year, all contributed to his loss to former Vice President Nixon. Nevertheless, as Wallace lost support among white union members, Humphrey regained strength and the final polls showed a close race. Humphrey reversed his Vietnam policy, called for peace talks, and won back some of the antiwar Democrats.<ref>Lewis L. Gould, ''1968: The Election That Changed America'' (1993), pp 142–150.</ref>

Nixon won the electoral college and the election. Humphrey lost the [[1968 United States presidential election|popular vote]] by less than one percent, with 43.4% for Nixon (31,783,783 votes) to 42.7% (31,271,839<!-- votes-->) for Humphrey, and 13.5% (9,901,118<!-- votes -->) for Wallace. Humphrey carried just 13 states and the District of Columbia with 191 electoral college votes, Nixon carried 32 states and 301 electoral votes, and Wallace carried five states and 46 electoral votes. In his concession speech, Humphrey said, "I have done my best. I have lost; Mr. Nixon has won. The democratic process has worked its will."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1968/1968-Presidential-Election/12303153093431-2/|title=1968 Presidential Election – Events of 1968 – Year in Review|work=United Press International|access-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref>