Hubert Humphrey

Birth Name: Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.

Date of Birth: May 27, 1911

Place of Birth: Wallace, South Dakota, U.S.

Date of Death: January 13, 1978

Place of Death: Waverly, Minnesota, U.S.

Ethnicity:
*English (father)
*Norwegian (mother)

Hubert Humphrey was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 38th Vice President of the United States, from January 20, 1965 to January 20, 1969. He was elected to the position in 1964. He was also the 35th Mayor of Minneapolis, from July 2, 1945 to November 30, 1948, a U.S. Senator from Minnesota, from January 3, 1949 to December 30, 1964, and again from January 3, 1971 to January 13, 1978, the 14th U.S. Senate Majority Whip, from January 3, 1961 to December 30, 1964, and the 1st Deputy President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, from January 3, 1977 to January 13, 1978.

He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 1968. He was also a candidate for the Democratic Party’s 1952, 1960, and 1972 presidential nominations.

Vice President Humphrey was the son of Ragnild Kristine/Christine/Christina (Sannes) and Hubert Humphrey. His father had English ancestry. His mother was born in Tveit, Kristiansand, Vest-Agder, Norway. Vice President Humphrey was married to Muriel (Buck) Humphrey Brown, with whom he had four children. Upon his death, Muriel was appointed to his senate seat, serving in 1978.

Vice President Humphrey’s paternal grandfather was John Wadsworth Humphrey (the son of Harry Mark Humphrey and Electa Wadsworth). John was born in Minnesota or Ohio. Harry was the son of Elijah Humphrey and Hannah Bartholomew.

Vice President Humphrey’s paternal grandmother was Adeline “Addie” Regester (the daughter of Aaron Baker Regester and Matilda Dwyer). Adeline was born in Minnesota or Ohio. Aaron was the son of Robert Regester and Abigail Rigby. Matilda was the daughter of Joseph Dwyer.

Vice President Humphrey’s maternal grandfather was Guttorm Andreas Guttormsen Sandnæs/Sannes (the son of Guttorm Tellefsen Sannæs/Sannes and Anne Torkildsdatter Langaasen). Vice President Humphrey’s grandfather Guttorm was born in Tveit, Kristiansand, Vest-Agder, Norway. Vice President Humphrey’s great-grandfather Guttorm was the son of Tellef Guttormsen Sandnes and Marthe Cathrine Larsdatter. Anne was the daughter of Torkild Askjeldsen Langaasen and Marie Olsdatter.

Vice President Humphrey’s maternal grandmother was Abel Thomine Larsdatter Sannes (the daughter of Lars Tellefsen Sannæs/Sannes and Ragnhild Kristine Torstensdatter). Abel was born in Tveit, Kristiansand, Vest-Agder, Norway. Lars was the son of Tellef Guttormsen Sandnes and Marthe Cathrine Larsdatter. Ragnhild was the daughter of Torsten Halvorsen and Anne Larsdatter.

One other person of heavily Scandinavian ancestry has served as Vice President of the United States, Walter Mondale, from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. He was also a member of the Democratic Party.

Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were also the two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry who were nominated for President of the United States by a major party, with Mondale’s nomination being in 1984, both by the Democratic Party.

Mondale was also the Democratic Party’s nominee for re-election as Vice President in 1980. Aside of Humphrey and Mondale, three people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have been nominated for Vice President of the United States by a major party. They were/are:
*Earl Warren (1948; Republican; Warren was of Norwegian and Swedish descent)
*Lloyd Bentsen (1988, Democratic; Bentsen’s father was of Danish descent)
*Tim Walz (2024, Democratic; Walz’s paternal grandmother was of Swedish descent)

Hubert was one of several people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry to have won a major American party’s Presidential caucus and/or primary. He won 1 state in 1952, Minnesota, 2 states in 1960, and 5 states in 1972. The others were:
*Earl Warren (who sought the 1936, 1944, 1948, and 1952 Republican nominations; each time, won 1 state, California)
*Charles A. Christopherson (who sought the 1944 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Christopherson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Joe Foss (who sought the 1956 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Foss’s father was of Norwegian descent)
*Henry M. Jackson (Democratic; ran in 1972 and 1976: in 1976, he won 4 contests; Jackson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Walter Mondale (1984, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 20 contests)

Other people of heavily Scandinavian heritage who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*George T. Mickelson (who sought the 1952 Republican nomination; Mickelson’s father was Norwegian)
*Pat Paulsen (who sought the 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996 nominations, usually Democratic; Paulsen’s father was Norwegian)
*Frank Carlson (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination; Carlson’s parents were Swedish)
*Lloyd Bentsen (who sought the 1976 Democratic nomination)
*John B. Anderson (who sought the 1980 Republican nomination, and was later an independent 1980 candidate; Anderson’s father was Swedish and Anderson’s mother was of Swedish descent)
*Bob Smith (who sought the 2000 Republican nomination; Smith’s paternal grandfather was of Danish descent)
*Gary Johnson (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination, and was the Libertarian Party’s 2012 and 2016 nominee for President of the United States; Johnson’s father was adopted by Danish and Norwegian parents, and was possibly himself of Scandinavian descent)
*Michele Bachmann (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Bachmann is of Norwegian descent)
*Jon Huntsman, Jr. (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Huntsman is of one eighth Swedish, one eighth Norwegian, and one sixteenth Danish, descent)
*Eric Swalwell (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Swalwell’s mother is of Swedish and Danish descent)
*Perry Johnson (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Johnson’s father was of Swedish and Norwegian descent)

Sources: Genealogy of Vice President Humphrey – https://www.geni.com

Vice President Humphrey on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Death record of Vice President Humphrey – https://www.findagrave.com