Skip Humphrey

{{Short description|Former Minnesota Attorney General (born 1942)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Skip Humphrey

| image = Hubert Humphrey III.jpg

| office = 27th Attorney General of Minnesota

| governor = Rudy Perpich
Arne Carlson

| term_start = January 3, 1983

| term_end = January 4, 1999

| predecessor = Warren Spannaus

| successor = Mike Hatch

| state_senate2= Minnesota

| district2 = 44th

| term_start2 = January 2, 1973

| term_end2 = January 3, 1983

| predecessor2 = John C. Chenoweth

| successor2 = Phyllis W. McQuaid

| birth_name = Hubert Horatio Humphrey III

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|6|26}}

| birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| spouse = {{marriage|Nancy Jeffery|1963}}

| children = 3

| parents = Hubert Humphrey
Muriel Humphrey

| education = American University (BA)
University of Minnesota (JD)

}}

Hubert Horatio "Skip" Humphrey III (born June 26, 1942) is an American retired politician who served as attorney general of the state of Minnesota (1983–1999) and State Senator (1973–1983). Humphrey led the Office of Older Americans as the assistant director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

A Democrat, Humphrey is a son of Vice President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Senator Muriel Humphrey. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in the hotly contested three-way election of 1998.

Early life

Hubert Horatio Humphrey III was born on June 26, 1942, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Humphrey graduated from American University, where he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Chi chapter, and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10270 Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record] (Retrieved August 15, 2010).

Political career

Humphrey was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972 and served as a state senator from 1973 to 1983. He was elected Minnesota Attorney General in 1982, one of the DFL Party's most popular candidates ever in terms of popular vote. He served in the office for four consecutive terms, from 1983 to 1999.

On January 13, 1978, his father died of bladder cancer at the age of 66.

In 1988, he ran for the same U.S. Senate seat that his father and his mother previously held, but was defeated by incumbent Independent-Republican Senator David Durenberger. After this loss he served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General, and in 1996 he was state chair of President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign.GAO; [https://books.google.com/books?id=y1n2QiEurB4C&q=%22skip+humphrey%22+&pg=PA1956 Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, October 28, 1996] (Retrieved August 15, 2010).

By 1998, he was again encouraged to run for higher office, and entered the DFL gubernatorial primary, winning handily in a crowded fieldCNN: [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/09/16/primary.results/minnesota.html Minnesota primary results, September 15, 1998.] (Retrieved August 15, 2010). (which included another scion of an eminent Minnesota political family, Ted Mondale). In the general election, both Humphrey and Republican candidate Norm Coleman lost to the third-party candidacy of Jesse Ventura in a tumultuous race.

On September 20, his mother died at the age of 86.

Political legacy

Humphrey was an enthusiastic successor of his father's New Deal-inspired political philosophy, and throughout his career he remained devoted to traditional progressive ideals as well as their more modern manifestations: "If you think that being too liberal means raising the minimum wage, advocating health care for everyone, protecting the environment, taking on the tobacco industry, enacting campaign finance reform, and putting more cops on the streets, then guess what? That's what Minnesotans want."Kamber, Victor (2003). Poison Politics: Are Negative Campaigns Destroying Democracy?; Basic Books, New York City; {{ISBN|978-0-7382-0872-5}}. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=BJWORPMpV48C&dq=%22hubert%20humphrey%20III%22&pg=PA270 p.270]: "As Hubert Humphrey III, son of HHH and now Minnesota's attorney general, said...." One of his most passionately held principles was his opposition to tobacco and its powerful political lobby: in 1999, the World Health Organization awarded him the Director-General's Prize for outstanding global contribution to tobacco control.{{Cite press release |title=Prominent tobacco control activist receives prize |publisher=World Health Organization |date=May 27, 1999 |url=https://www.who.int/inf-pr-1999/en/pr99-29.html |access-date=November 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031072557/http://www.who.int/inf-pr-1999/en/pr99-29.html |archive-date=October 31, 2013 }}

Personal life

While a student at American University, Humphrey met Nancy Lee Jeffery, the daughter of a U.S. Navy captain. The two were married while spending the summer of 1963 in Europe.Solberg, Carl (1984). Hubert Humphrey: A Biography; Borealis Books, St. Paul MN; {{ISBN|0-87351-473-4}}. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=wzGabQcvDvcC&dq=%22skip%20humphrey%22&pg=PA234 p.234]: "In the summer of 1963... Hubert H. Humphrey III was also traveling to Europe... In August, Humphrey wrote his son's old headmaster: 'Skip has returned from Europe and believe it or not, he has married a very lovely young lady here in Virginia – Nancy Lee Jeffery. They were married in Europe so they could enjoy a little honeymoon there. We are very happy at the whole situation.'"... The Humphreys are the parents of three children, including Hubert H. "Buck" Humphrey IV, who ran for Minnesota Secretary of State in 2002, losing by three percentage points to Republican nominee Mary Kiffmeyer.

Humphrey was a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota, where he taught public health policy and law,{{Cite web |url=http://www.sph.umn.edu/epi/faculty/faculty.asp?x5=humph018 |title=Faculty Biography: Hubert H. Humphrey III, J.D. |author=Regents of the University of Minnesota |year=2010 |publisher=University of Minnesota |work=Umn.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711200209/http://www.sph.umn.edu/epi/faculty/faculty.asp?x5=humph018 |archive-date=July 11, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2015 }} and was also Senior Vice President at Tunheim Partners, a Minnesota-based communications and public affairs firm.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2004/01/05/daily48.html |title=Skip Humphrey to head AARP Minnesota |date=2004 |publisher=Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal}} Beginning in 2004, Humphrey served as the president of the Minnesota chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP),{{Cite news |last=Wolfe |first=Warren |date=January 9, 2004 |title=Skip Humphrey to lead state AARP |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-112031542.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119204114/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-112031542.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |newspaper=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis, MN |access-date=November 17, 2016|via=HighBeam Research}} and later was a member of the Board of Directors of the National AARP.{{Cite web |url=http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/leadership/info-2010/Hubert_Humphrey.html |title=AARP Leadership Profile: Hubert H. Humphrey III |date=2008 |publisher=AARP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326031018/http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/leadership/info-2010/Hubert_Humphrey.html |archive-date=March 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 17, 2016 }} In October 2011, Humphrey was appointed the assistant director of the Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.{{Cite book |year=2013 |title=Financial Security Issues Facing Older Americans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DBFIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA3 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=3 }}

Electoral history

File:Skip Humphrey.jpg

=1972=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1972 Primary Election for Minnesota State Senator, District 44{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1972-09-12-p-man.pdf|title=1972 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://mn.electionarchives.lib.umn.edu/search/|title=Elections Search|website=Minnesota Historical Election Archives|accessdate=31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan

|candidate = Don Forseth

|votes = 1,956

|percentage = 52.34%

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 1,637

|percentage = 43.81%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan

|candidate = Betty A. Harasyn

|votes = 144

|percentage = 3.85%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 3,737

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1972 General Election for Minnesota State Senator, District 44{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1972-11-07-g-sec.pdf|title=1972 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://mn.electionarchives.lib.umn.edu/search/|title=Elections Search|website=Minnesota Historical Election Archives|accessdate=31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 12,538

|percentage = 54.75%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Nonpartisan

|candidate = Don Forseth

|votes = 10,361

|percentage = 45.25%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 22,899

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1976=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1976 General Election for Minnesota State Senator, District 44{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1976-11-02-g-sec.pdf|title=1976 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 15,890

|percentage = 68.62%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = Rick Sathre

|votes = 7,268

|percentage = 31.38%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 23,158

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1980=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1980 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota State Senator, District 44{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1980-09-09-p-sec.pdf|title=1980 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 655

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 655

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1980 General Election for Minnesota State Senator, District 44{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1980-11-04-g-sec.pdf|title=1980 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 19,579

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 19,579

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1982=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1982 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1982-09-14-p-sec.pdf|title=1982 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 473,950

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 473,950

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1982 General Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1982-11-02-g-sec.pdf|title=1982 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 1,082,539

|percentage = 61.72%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = Elliot Rothenberg

|votes = 653,162

|percentage = 37.24%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Conservative People's

|candidate = Samuel Faulk

|votes = 18,278

|percentage = 1.04%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 1,753,979

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1986=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1986 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1986-09-09-p-sec.pdf|title=1986 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 406,487

|percentage = 85.67%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Wendy Alison Nora

|votes = 27,544

|percentage = 5.81%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Richard Bullock

|votes = 24,151

|percentage = 5.09%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Samuel Faulk

|votes = 16,271

|percentage = 3.43%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 474,453

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1986 General Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1986-11-04-g-sec.pdf|title=1986 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 985,569

|percentage = 70.32%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = Lew Freeman

|votes = 399,483

|percentage = 28.51%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Green Party of the United States

|candidate = Derrick Grimmer

|votes = 16,394

|percentage = 1.17%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 1,401,446

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1988=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1988 DFL Primary Election for US Senator{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1988-09-13-p-sec.pdf|title=1988 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 153,808

|percentage = 90.58%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Kent Herschbach

|votes = 15,994

|percentage = 9.42%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 169,802

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1988 General Election for US Senator{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1988-11-08-g-sec.pdf|title=1988 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = David Durenberger

|votes = 1,176,210

|percentage = 56.18%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey

|votes = 856,694

|percentage = 40.92%

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party = Progressive Issues Party

|candidate = Polly Mann

|votes = 44,474

|percentage = 2.12%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Green Party of the United States

|candidate = Derrick Grimmer

|votes = 9,016

|percentage = 0.43%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Libertarian Party (United States)

|candidate = Arlen Overvig

|votes = 4,039

|percentage = 0.19%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Socialist Workers Party (United States)

|candidate = Wendy Lyons

|votes = 3,105

|percentage = 0.15%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 2,093,538

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1990=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1990 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1990-09-11-p-sec.pdf|title=1990 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 335,339

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 335,339

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1990 General Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/sessions/electionresults/1990-11-06-g-sec.pdf|title=1990 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 1,126,447

|percentage = 63.22%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = Kevin Johnson

|votes = 655,282

|percentage = 36.78%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 1,781,729

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1994=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1994 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://officialdocuments.sos.state.mn.us/Files/GetDocument/16339|title=1994 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 329,417

|percentage = 87.92%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Kent Herschbach

|votes = 24,590

|percentage = 6.56%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Lewis Smith

|votes = 20,668

|percentage = 5.52%

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 374,675

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1994 General Election for Minnesota Attorney General{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/1994/1994-general-election-results/|title=1994 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey (incumbent)

|votes = 1,115,285

|percentage = 66.63%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party of Minnesota

|candidate = Sharon Anderson

|votes = 488,753

|percentage = 29.20%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Grassroots Party

|candidate = Dean Anumdson

|votes = 69,776

|percentage = 4.17%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 1,673,814

|percentage = 100%

}}

=1998=

{{Election box begin no change|title=1998 DFL Primary Election for Minnesota Governor and Lieutenant Governor{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/1998/1998-primary-election-results/|title=1998 Primary Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Skip Humphrey and Roger Moe

|votes = 182,562

|percentage = 36.95%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Mike Freeman and Ruth Johnson

|votes = 93,714

|percentage = 18.97%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Doug Johnson and Tom Foley

|votes = 91,888

|percentage = 18.60%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Mark Dayton and Julie Jansen

|votes = 88,070

|percentage = 17.83%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Ted Mondale and Deanna Weiner

|votes = 36,237

|percentage = 7.33%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

|candidate = Ole' Savior and Ron Moseng

|votes = 1,598

|percentage = 0.32%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 494,069

|percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=1998 General Election for Minnesota Governor and Lieutenant Governor{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/1998/1998-general-election-results/|title=1998 General Election Results|website=Minnesota Secretary of State|accessdate= 31 January 2021}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Reform Party of the United States of America

|candidate = Jesse Ventura and Mae Schunk

|votes = 773,403

|percentage = 37.00%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Norm Coleman and Gen Olson

|votes = 716,880

|percentage = 34.29%

}}