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Hubert Humphrey served as mayor of Minneapolis, U.S. senator for Minnesota and vice president for Lyndon B. Johnson. The roles gave him plenty of chances to speak in front of crowds — and the gusto with which he did made him Minnesota's most famous orator.

Spanning from 1941, when he made his first run for mayor, to his death in 1978, Humphrey's collection of speeches, notes included, includes 

Many of those pages, which are part of a collection maintained by the Minnesota Historical Society, contain hand-written edits by the politician, who was notorious for going off-script. 

Humphrey's speeches were prolific, but he was also known for the tenacity with which he delivered them. Many addressed his support for civil rights, and later, for the Vietnam War, a stance that earned him enemies on both the right and the left.


In what was among his most memorable speeches, delivered at the Hilton Hotel in St. Paul in 1974, Humphrey roused crowds by detailing the country's ability to take hard knocks and come out a "stronger and better America." 


His devotion to fair treatment of all Americans shone through in his words. 


Early in the address, he read the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and added:


The speech came as part of the United Way of St. Paul's annual meeting, and Humphrey took the moment to focus on the role of volunteers in that "We the People" society:

He said Americans should not rely solely on government to help those in need, but ought to rely on each other to solve growing social problems:

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Throughout his long career, Hubert Humphrey plenty of chances to speak in front of crowds - and the gusto with which he did made him Minnesota's most famous orator.

From the archives: Hubert Humphrey, Minnesota's most famous orator

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