# Hubert H. Humphrey III *American politician; Minnesota Attorney General, 1983–1999, and DFL nominee for governor in 1998.* Hubert Horatio "Skip" Humphrey III (born June 26, 1942) is a retired [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] politician. He represented a district in the [[Minnesota Senate]] from 1973 until 1983 and then held the office of [[Minnesota Attorney General]] for four consecutive terms, 1983 to 1999.[^1][^2] His father was Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]] and his mother was U.S. Senator [[Muriel Humphrey]].[^3][^4] In the three-way race for governor on November 3, 1998, he was the DFL candidate and lost to the Reform Party's [[Jesse Ventura]]; Republican Norm Coleman also lost.[^5] During his tenure as Attorney General, his name appears on the State's side of the counsel listings in criminal appeals. One of them is *[[Minnesota v. Carter]]*, 525 U.S. 83 (1998), in which the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 for the State that short-term commercial visitors in another person's home have no legitimate expectation of privacy.[^6] His father was the Senate's Democratic floor manager for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].[^7][^8] Title VII of that Act is the statute under which the United States sued the State of Minnesota on January 14, 2026. The [[United States Department of Justice]] announced the suit in a release titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*.[^9][^10] No row in the record connects Humphrey III to that suit or to the state statute it challenges. ## Who Humphrey was born in Minneapolis on June 26, 1942.[^2] He attended American University and earned his law degree at the [[University of Minnesota Law School]].[^1][^2] He won election to the Minnesota Senate in 1972 and served there through 1983.[^11][^2] Voters chose him as Attorney General in 1982. Wikipedia describes him as among the DFL's strongest candidates by popular vote. He was returned to the office in each election through his fourth term, which ended in 1999.[^1][^2] In 1988 he challenged incumbent Independent-Republican Senator David Durenberger for the U.S. Senate seat that both of his parents had once held, and lost.[^2][^12] He then became president of the National Association of Attorneys General. In 1996 he chaired President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign in Minnesota.[^2] In 1998 he won a crowded DFL primary for governor. Ted Mondale was among the other candidates in that primary. Humphrey lost the general election to Ventura.[^2][^13][^5] In 1999 the World Health Organization gave him the Director-General's Prize for his work on tobacco control.[^2] After leaving office he was a senior fellow at the [[University of Minnesota]], where he taught public health policy and law. He was also a senior vice president at Tunheim Partners, a Minnesota public-affairs firm. In 2004 he became president of AARP's Minnesota chapter and later sat on the national AARP board. In October 2011 he was named assistant director for the Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.[^2] Several institutions list him as follows: - the University of Minnesota lists him as a recipient of its Outstanding Achievement Award;[^14] - the [[Mitchell Hamline School of Law]] carries a faculty biography for him;[^15] - Harvard's Institute of Politics lists him among its fellows.[^16] His son Hubert H. "Buck" Humphrey IV ran for [[Minnesota Secretary of State]] in 2002. He lost by three percentage points to Republican [[Mary Kiffmeyer]].[^2] ## What Humphrey's own summary of his program, quoted in Wikipedia, included "taking on the tobacco industry" and "putting more cops on the streets."[^2] The record shows the following appellate outputs of his office. In each, the State's position prevailed: - **State v. Knutson**, 539 N.W.2d 254 (Minn. Ct. App. Oct. 31, 1995), No. C8-95-1093. The project's time-table rows record that the Attorney General's office prosecuted and that defense counsel was named Ellison. They also record that the State was permitted to compel unpublished photographs from the *Minnesota Daily*.[^17] - **State v. Bjorkman**, No. C9-96-822 (Minn. Ct. App. Apr. 8, 1997) (unpublished). The caption lists Washington County Attorney Richard M. Arney and Assistant County Attorney Peter J. Orput of [[Stillwater]], with Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, for the State. The conviction was affirmed.[^18] - **[[Minnesota v. Carter]]**, 525 U.S. 83 (1998), No. 97-1147. [[Dakota County Attorney]] [[Backstrom]] argued the case. Hubert H. Humphrey III, Attorney General, was on the brief with Phillip D. Prokopowicz. The Court held for the State, 5–4.[^6] ## When - June 26, 1942: born in Minneapolis.[^2] - 1972: elected to the Minnesota Senate; served 1973–1983.[^11][^2] - 1982: elected Attorney General; served 1983–1999.[^1][^2] - 1988: defeated for the U.S. Senate by David Durenberger.[^2][^12] - October 31, 1995: *State v. Knutson* decided.[^17] - April 8, 1997: *State v. Bjorkman* affirmed.[^18] - October 6, 1998: *Minnesota v. Carter* argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.[^6] - November 3, 1998: lost the governor's race to Ventura.[^5] - December 1, 1998: *Minnesota v. Carter* decided for the State.[^6] - 1999: awarded the WHO Director-General's Prize for tobacco control.[^2] - October 2011: appointed to the CFPB's Office of Older Americans.[^2] ## How many - **Attorney General terms:** four consecutive terms, 1983–1999.[^1][^2] - **Election years:** Wikipedia's electoral history for him lists contests in nine years: 1972, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994 and 1998.[^2] - **Supreme Court vote:** the Court's vote in *Minnesota v. Carter* was 5–4.[^6] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue item AI-Dakota-008 (rank 8) records the following about *Minnesota v. Carter*: - The Dakota County Attorney personally argued the case on October 6, 1998. - Hubert H. Humphrey III, Attorney General of Minnesota, was on the brief. - The Court ruled 5–4 for the State on December 1, 1998. - The Court held that short-term commercial visitors in another person's home have no legitimate expectation of privacy.[^6] The item anchors the case to the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*. Its stated reason is that "the case redrew who may be observed without a warrant."[^19] The record establishes the counsel listing, the vote and the holding. It does not establish the purpose of any person on the brief. ## In the Minnesota record ### Who **Father's early career.** Humphrey III's father was inaugurated as mayor of Minneapolis on July 2, 1945.[^20] He gave the civil rights address at the 1948 Democratic National Convention on July 14, 1948.[^21] He served Minnesota in the U.S. Senate and was Democratic Whip from 1961.[^3][^27] **Civil Rights Act of 1964.** The Senate named him Democratic floor manager for the civil rights bill on March 9, 1964.[^7] With Senator Dirksen (R-Ill.) he worked out the bipartisan compromise on Title VII. The Senate passed the bill 73–27 on June 19, 1964.[^22] President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, signed it on July 2, 1964, with Humphrey present.[^23] The enacted text is Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241.[^8] **Vice presidency.** As Vice President, he attended the August 6, 1965 signing of the Voting Rights Act.[^26] Johnson issued [[Executive Order 11246]] on September 24, 1965. The order covers affirmative action in federal contracting. A project time-table row records that it was drafted after a Humphrey review recommending Labor Department enforcement.[^24][^25] **Mother.** His mother, Muriel Humphrey, also served Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.[^4] ### What **The 2026 lawsuit.** On January 14, 2026, the Department of Justice issued release No. 26-21. Its title calls the State's apparatus "Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime." The release states that Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^9] **The complaint.** The complaint in *[[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]]* (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) is brought under [[Title VII]] of the 1964 Act.[^10][^8] It cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times. These citations include subdivision 3(c), which requires an agency to explain the reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^10] The record carries no disposition. The case is pending as of the record's date. **Related Supreme Court holding.** In *[[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]]*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs."[^28] **Use of the term "regime."** The U.S. government applies "regime" to governments it opposes. For example, the [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-338) states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^29] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages ([[How Minnesota Got Here]], note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described.[^29][^9] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III* legislator profile — Attorney General 1983–1999; University of Minnesota Law School. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10484 [^2]: Wikipedia, *Hubert H. Humphrey III* (rev. 1372800315, retrieved 2026-10-27) — birth, education, Senate and Attorney General service, 1988 and 1998 races, NAAG, Clinton campaign, WHO prize, later posts, family, electoral-history years, quoted program statement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_H._Humphrey_III [^3]: U.S. Congress, *Biographical Directory: Hubert H. Humphrey* (H000953) — Senate and vice-presidential service; Civil Rights Act floor manager. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/H000953 [^4]: U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives, *Muriel Humphrey* — service as U.S. Senator from Minnesota. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/15464 [^5]: Minnesota Secretary of State, *Historical Election Data* — November 3, 1998 general election for governor: Ventura (Reform), Humphrey III (DFL), Coleman (R). https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/historical-election-data/ [^6]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Minnesota v. Carter*, 525 U.S. 83 (1998), No. 97-1147 (Justia) — counsel listing (Backstrom argued; "Hubert H. Humphrey III, Attorney General," on the brief with Phillip D. Prokopowicz); argued Oct. 6, 1998; decided Dec. 1, 1998, 5–4; holding. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/525/83/ [^7]: U.S. Senate, *Civil Rights Act of 1964: Proponents Build a Strategy for Success* — Humphrey named Democratic floor manager (March 9, 1964). https://www.senate.gov/legislative/landmark-legislation/civil-rights-act-of-1964/proponents-build-a-strategy-for-success-essay.htm [^8]: U.S. Statutes at Large, *Civil Rights Act of 1964*, Pub. L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241 (July 2, 1964) — enacted text, including Title VII. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-78/pdf/STATUTE-78-Pg241.pdf [^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — title; certification by Attorney General Bondi. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^10]: U.S. District Court, D. Minn., *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII claims; eight citations of Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^11]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Skip Humphrey* — legislator record. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10270 [^12]: *Washington Post*, *Humphrey Stepping Out of Father's Shadow* (Oct. 16, 1988) — the 1988 U.S. Senate race. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/10/16/humphrey-stepping-out-of-fathers-shadow/738a05cc-50d0-4434-bc38-bb8547f31734/ [^13]: MPR News, *Meet the Candidates: Skip Humphrey on Political Issues* (Sept. 8, 1998) — the 1998 gubernatorial candidacy. https://archive.mpr.org/stories/1998/09/08/meet-the-candidates-skip-humphrey-on-political-issues-and-campaign [^14]: University of Minnesota, *Outstanding Achievement Award: Hubert H. Humphrey III* — recipient listing. https://uawards.umn.edu/recipients-outstanding-achievement-award/hubert-h-humphrey-iii [^15]: Mitchell Hamline School of Law, *Faculty Biographies: Hubert H. Humphrey III* — biography listing. https://mitchellhamline.edu/biographies/person/hubert-h-humphrey-iii/ [^16]: Institute of Politics at Harvard University, *Hubert H. Humphrey III* — fellows listing. https://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/hubert-h-humphrey-iii [^17]: Minnesota Court of Appeals, *State v. Knutson*, 539 N.W.2d 254, No. C8-95-1093 (Oct. 31, 1995) (Justia) — decision; counsel and subject as recorded in the project's time-table rows. https://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/court-of-appeals/1995/c8-95-1093.html [^18]: Minnesota Court of Appeals, *State v. Bjorkman*, No. C9-96-822 (Apr. 8, 1997) (unpublished) — caption listing Arney, Orput and Attorney General Humphrey III; affirmed. https://mn.gov/law-library-stat/archive/ctapun/9704/822.htm [^19]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the presidential action used as the at-issue item's anchor. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^20]: Minnesota Historical Society, *Hubert H. Humphrey research guide* — inauguration as mayor of Minneapolis, July 2, 1945. https://libguides.mnhs.org/hhh [^21]: American Rhetoric, *Hubert Humphrey: 1948 Democratic National Convention Address* (July 14, 1948) — text of the speech. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/huberthumphey1948dnc.html [^22]: U.S. Senate Historical Office, *The Civil Rights Act of 1964* — Humphrey–Dirksen compromise; Senate passage 73–27 on June 19, 1964. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/CivilRightsAct1964.htm [^23]: National Archives, *Civil Rights Act (1964)* — signing on July 2, 1964. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act [^24]: National Archives, Federal Register, *Executive Order 11246* (Sept. 24, 1965) — text of the order. https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/11246.html [^25]: U.S. Department of Labor, OFCCP, *Executive Order 11246* — affirmative action in federal contracting. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/executive-order-11246 [^26]: National Archives, *Voting Rights Act (1965)* — signing on August 6, 1965. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/voting-rights-act [^27]: U.S. Senate Historical Office, *Hubert H. Humphrey* — Senate leadership biography, including service as Democratic Whip. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/People_Leaders_Humphrey.htm [^28]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — Title VII disparate-treatment holding. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf [^29]: U.S. Statutes, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein"; cited by the project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf