Gordon Humphrey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theNew Hampshire Senate from the17th district | |
| In office December 5, 1990 – December 2, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | William Johnson |
| Succeeded by | John Barnes Jr. |
| United States Senator fromNew Hampshire | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – December 4, 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas McIntyre |
| Succeeded by | Bob Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gordon John Humphrey (1940-10-09)October 9, 1940 (age 85) Bristol, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 2016) Independent (2016–present) |
| Spouse | Patricia Green |
| Education | George Washington University University of Maryland, College Park |
Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is an American politician fromNew Hampshire who served two terms in theU.S. Senate as aRepublican from 1979 to 1990, and twice ran forGovernor of New Hampshire, though both bids were unsuccessful.
Humphrey was born inBristol, Connecticut. His first career path was in aviation: he served in theUnited States Air Force for several years and, following college (George Washington University and theUniversity of Maryland, College Park), he became a professional pilot.
Originally a liberal, Humphrey said he converted to conservatism because of "the force of my own logic".[1]
In 1977, Humphrey became the leader of the New Hampshire chapter ofConservative Caucus, which had been looking for someone to head it up for months. Humphrey volunteered and began organizing signature-gathering for petitions and putting together well-attended rallies.[1]
In 1978, Humphrey won election to the U.S. Senate, despite being only a local Republican activist holding no political office. He defeated three-term incumbentThomas J. McIntyre by barely two percent. He won election without help from the Republican Party and had few links to party regulars. Humphrey's 18-month campaign was run for the most part by himself and Patricia Green, a former New York City schoolteacher whom he married just after the four-way GOP primary that September. According to aNew York Times article written a month after the election, she was "considered the strongest force in his camp and is expected to have a strong influence on his Washington staff".[1]
Humphrey was easily reelected in 1984, defeating five-term Democratic U.S. congressmanNorman D'Amours. Humphrey declined to run for a third term in 1990, having promised to serve only two terms.
Humphrey was known for his outspokenness as a Senator.[2]
In 1987, Humphrey harshly criticizedPresidentRonald Reagan's appointment ofopenly gaygeneticist Dr. Frank Lilly to hiscommission on the HIV Epidemic,[3] saying that Lilly's appointment would send the message ". . .that homosexuality is simply an alternative lifestyle".
In the Senate Humphrey served on theCommittee on Foreign Relations, theArmed Services Committee and theJudiciary Committee and was a leader in the Congressional Task Force onAfghanistan, which shaped U.S. policy regarding theSoviet–Afghan War andOperation Cyclone. He voted against the federal budget all 12 years he was a member of the Senate, each time because the proposed budget ran a deficit.
Humphrey played a major role at the1988 Republican National Convention as a leader and spokesman for right-wing delegates. He was instrumental in steering the vice-presidential nomination toDan Quayle, having marshaled the commitment of four state delegations to run their own vice-presidential candidate in the event a candidate not to their liking was picked byGeorge H. W. Bush. Under party rules, six delegations were needed.[4] Bush's choice of Quayle, who was pro-life (as was Humphrey), satisfied the New Hampshire senator.
On March 5, 1989, Humphrey announced he would not run for a third term, stating that two terms was enough. Instead, he ran for and won a seat in theNew Hampshire State Senate in 1990, serving one term.[5][6][7] There were reports of his making a possible run for president on the Republican ticket in both 1988 and 1992, but neither happened.
Humphrey returned to New Hampshire politics in 2000 by challenging incumbent GovernorJeanne Shaheen. Shaheen, a Democrat, was considered vulnerable in the wake of a State Supreme Court decision requiring the state to play a larger role in funding education, which many saw as a path toward instituting a statewide income or sales tax. Humphrey pledged to block attempts to enact such taxes, but was narrowly defeated in a contentious campaign.
Humphrey ran for the Republican nomination for governor again in 2002, but businessmanCraig Benson eventually won the nomination and the governor's race. Humphrey finished third, and said the campaign would be his last.
.jpg)
In 2004, Humphrey entered the field of radio broadcasting, purchasing an AM station inConcord,WKXL. He lives inChichester, New Hampshire with his wife, Patricia, and their two children.
In 2013, Humphrey made headlines when he expressed support forwhistleblowerEdward Snowden, who exposed themass surveillance of Americans and foreign nationals by theNational Security Agency.[8] JournalistGlenn Greenwald reported that Humphrey, a former member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, contacted Snowden via email, telling him that, "Provided you have not leaked information that would put in harms [sic] way any intelligence agent, I believe you have done the right thing in exposing what I regard as massive violation of the United States Constitution."[9]
Humphrey complained to Snowden that "no effort is being made to identify, remove from office and bring to justice those officials who have abused power, seriously and repeatedly violating the Constitution of the United States and the rights of millions of unsuspecting citizens." He cited Snowden as a "courageous whistle-blower".[10] Snowden replied with a message thanking Humphrey.[9]
In 2015, Humphrey endorsedOhio governorJohn Kasich forPresident in 2016.[11] During the2016 Republican presidential primaries, Humphrey was a leader of efforts to try to block Donald Trump from securing the nomination at theRepublican National Convention. He stated, "I would only vote forHillary in the event of a very close contest. Meantime, I'm hoping the Republican leadership, at long, long last will show the courage and principle to denounce Trump and to demand he renounce the nomination or face a reconvening of the convention." On November 6, 2016, two days before the election, Humphrey officially endorsed Clinton.[12][13] That same month, Humphrey left the Republican Party and became an independent.[14]
On August 9, 2017, Humphrey extended his opposition to President Trump by calling for his removal from office in a letter[15] addressed to his own member of Congress, Democratic Rep.Annie Kuster, arguing that Trump is "sick of mind" and dangerous.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew Hampshire (Class 2) 1978,1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of New Hampshire 2000 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire 1979–1990 Served alongside:John Durkin,Warren Rudman | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Senator | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
