[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF HUBERT H. HUMPHREY

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise to speak today to honor a 
great Minnesota Senator and a great American.
  U.S. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey died on January 13, 1978. On that 
day, a piece of Minnesota died--a piece of the nation died.
  In many ways, Senator Humphrey embodied the best of our state and our 
nation. He was a visionary who never lost sight of people in the here 
and now; he was a prophet who spoke with authority and compassion; he 
was a leader who never lost sight of the ``. . . extraordinary 
possibilities in ordinary people.'' Whether as the Mayor of Minneapolis 
or the Vice President of the United States, Senator Humphrey was a 
person of dignity, integrity and honesty. Even during our darkest days 
of segregation and war, he never lost his humor or his commitment to 
improve the lives of people. And this Happy Warrior did improve the 
lives of countless people throughout my state and our country. Indeed, 
he fulfilled his own pledge that ``we must dedicate ourselves to making 
each man, each woman, each child in America a full participant in 
American life.''
  My state and our nation owe a debt to Senator Humphrey that can never 
be paid.
  I owe a debt to Senator Humphrey: In the back of my mind, I 
continually aspire to the standard he set for Minnesota Senators. I 
attempt to fulfill his goal that our ``public and private endeavor 
ought to be concentrated upon those who are in the dawn of life, our 
children; those who are in the twilight of life, our elderly; and those 
who are in the shadows of life, our handicapped.''
  My thoughts on Senator Humphrey's passing are even more poignant this 
year because his wife--Senator Muriel Humphrey--died this past fall. As 
friends and family gathered at her funeral, I was struck by how blessed 
we were to have these two incredible people pass through our lives.
  I close very simply in honor of the memory of this very great public 
man: We all are better off because of his life.

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