Gordon J. Humphrey

Gordon J. Humphrey
United States Senator from New Hampshire
In office January 3, 1979 – December 4, 1990
Preceded by	Thomas J. McIntyre (D)
Succeeded by	Robert C. Smith (R)
Personal details
Born	October 9, 1940 (1940-10-09) (age 71) Bristol, Connecticut
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Patricia Humphrey

Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is a New Hampshire politician who served two terms in the Senate as a Republican from 1979 to 1990, and twice ran for Governor of New Hampshire, though both bids were unsuccessful.

Early life

Humphrey was born in Bristol, Connecticut. His first career path was in aviation: he served in the United States Air Force for several years and, following college (George Washington University and the University of Maryland, College Park), he became a professional pilot.

Originally a liberal, Humphrey said he converted to conservativsm because of "the force of my own logic".^[1]

In 1977, Humphrey became the leader of the New Hampshire chapter of Conservative 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]

U.S. Senate

Elections

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 incumbent Thomas 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 a New 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. congressman Norman D'Amours. Humphrey declined to run for a third term in 1990, having promised only to serve two.

Committee assignments

In the Senate Humphrey served on the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Armed Services Committee, and was a leader in the Congressional Task Force on Afghanistan, which shaped U.S. policy regarding the Soviet war in Afghanistan and Operation 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.

Later political career

Instead of running for a third term, he ran for and won a seat in the New Hampshire State Senate, the only former U.S. Senator to sit in a state senate. He served one term. There were reports of his making a possible run for president on the Republican ticket in both 1988 and 1992. Neither one happened.

Humphrey returned to New Hampshire politics in 2000 by challenging incumbent Governor Jeanne 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.

He ran for the Republican nomination for governor again in 2002, but businessman Craig Benson eventually won the nomination and the governor's race. Humphrey finished third, and said that the campaign would be his last.

Post-political career

In 2004, Humphrey entered the field of radio broadcasting, purchasing an AM station in Concord, WKXL. He lives in Chichester, New Hampshire with his wife, Patricia, and their two children.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Knight, Michael, "1980 Primary Off to Early Start For G.O.P. in New Hampshire", December, , 1978, The New York Times, retrieved February 10, 2010

External links

• Gordon Humphrey Joins Cato as Visiting Scholar
• War Without End Jim Lehrer interview of Senator Humphrey.
• Election 2002: Sen. Gordon Humphrey An interviewed conducted by the Dartmouth Review
• Gordon Humphrey's vision
• A Former Aide To Schundler Is Criticized

United States Senate
Preceded by Thomas J. McIntyre (D)	United States Senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire January 3, 1979 - December 4, 1990 Served alongside: John A. Durkin, Warren Rudman	Succeeded by Robert C. Smith (R)
Party political offices
Preceded by Wesley Powell	Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from New Hampshire (Class 2) 1978, 1984	Succeeded by Robert C. Smith
Preceded by Jay Lucas	Republican Party nominee for Governor of New Hampshire 2000	Succeeded by Craig Benson

Persondata
Name	Humphrey, Gordon
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 9, 1940
Place of birth	Bristol, Connecticut
Date of death
Place of death