Gordon J. Humphrey
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| Gordon J. Humphrey | |
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| In office January 3, 1979 – December 4, 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas J. McIntyre (D) |
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| Succeeded by | Robert C. Smith (R) |
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| Born | October 9, 1940 Bristol, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | 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.
Humphrey was born October 9, 1940, in Bristol, Connecticut. His first career path was in aviation: he served in the United States Air Force for several years and, following college, worked as a professional pilot. Despite being only a local Republican activist holding no political office, in 1978 Humphrey won election to the Senate by narrowly defeating three-term incumbent Thomas J. McIntyre by barely two percent. Humphrey was easily reelected in 1984, defeating five-term Democratic congressman Norman D'Amours.
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 invasion of Afghanistan. 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 declined to run for a third term in 1990, having promised only to serve two. He instead 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.
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.
[edit] 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
| Preceded by Thomas J. McIntyre (D) |
United States Senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire 1979–1990 Served alongside: John A. Durkin, Warren Rudman |
Succeeded by Robert C. Smith (R) |
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