# Waverly, Minnesota *A city in Wright County, Minnesota, and the place where Hubert H. Humphrey lived and died.* Waverly is a city in [[Wright County, Minnesota]], in [[Minnesota]]. The 2020 census counted 1,900 residents.[^1] It was the lake residence of [[Hubert Humphrey]], the 38th [[Vice President of the United States]], who lived on Lake Waverly from the mid-1950s until he died in the house on January 13, 1978.[^2][^3] The memorial marker in the town's Railroad Park records that Humphrey gave his last public address in that park on Memorial Day, May 30, 1977.[^2] It also carries his own sentence about the town: "It's just a small town near a lake in Minnesota, but to me, it's the peace of the world."[^2][^3] Waverly's resident was the Senate floor manager of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. He told the [[United States Senate]] that [[Title VII]] contained "nothing in it that will give any power to the Commission or to any court to require hiring, firing, or promotion of employees in order to meet a racial 'quota' or to achieve a certain racial balance."[^4] On January 14, 2026, the United States filed *United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273, in the District of Minnesota. The complaint alleges that Minn. Stat. [[§43A.191]] violates Title VII.[^5] The record shows the complaint and its allegations. It does not establish an outcome.[^5] ## Who - The Wikipedia article lists Humphrey among Waverly's notable people. It states that he and his wife built a lakefront home there in 1958, that the home was his primary residence for the rest of his life, and that he died there in 1978.[^6] The project's validated Humphrey dossier dates the acquisition only to the mid-1950s. It notes that sources give both 1956 and 1958 and that the deed was not retrieved, so no single year is settled.[^6] - The memorial marker records his death at the Waverly residence on January 13, 1978. He was 66.[^2] - The project's time table records that 33,000 people filed past his casket.[^7] - The same notable-people list names Dick Borrell, a Minnesota state representative, and William Culkin, a Minnesota state senator and historian. It also names Reuben G. Soderstrom, president of the Illinois State Federation of Labor and the Illinois AFL-CIO from 1930 to 1970, who was born on a farm west of Waverly.[^6] ## What - The Waverly Village Hall marker states that the hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It also records that Humphrey made several speeches there while running for President.[^8] Wikipedia's list of Wright County register properties includes Waverly Village Hall among 20 current listings, with data current through December 19, 2025.[^9] The pack grades both of these sources B, and the full twenty-item table was not retrieved.[^9] - Waverly's elementary school is [[Humphrey Elementary School]], named for him.[^6] - The Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial historical marker stands in Railroad Park. It was dedicated on September 10, 2005.[^2] ## When - **1855–1856:** An act of the territorial legislature organized Wright County in 1855. The surveyors sent out afterward found homesteaders already clearing and planting the land.[^10] In 1856 a surveyor and his partners built a dam, a sawmill and a grist mill where Little Waverly Lake drains. They platted roughly 300 acres as Waverly Mills, a name taken from a community in Tioga County, New York, where one partner had lived.[^10] The mill settlement came through a bank panic, a financial crash and grasshopper infestations. It gained a store, a post office and a log church with a cemetery.[^10] - **1868–1869:** The railroad company platted Waverly Station on its own land in the southwest quarter of section 33 when regular trains began running in 1868. The name set it apart from Old Waverly, a pioneer village about a mile away.[^10] A depot was built in 1868 and a grain house followed in 1869. T. R. Barrett opened the first store and later made it the Keystone House hotel.[^10] - **May 30, 1977:** Humphrey gave his last public address in Railroad Park.[^2] - **January 13, 1978:** Humphrey died at the Waverly residence.[^2][^3] - **September 10, 2005:** The Humphrey memorial marker in Railroad Park was dedicated.[^2] ## Where The city lies in Wright County. Its two lakes are Waverly and Little Waverly, and the Crow River is close by.[^1][^10] Before European settlement the ground was mostly Big Woods forest of oak, maple, basswood and hickory. Small areas of wet prairie lay along the east side of Waverly Lake.[^10] Census Bureau figures put the city's total area at 2.55 square miles (6.60 km²). Of that, 1.69 square miles is land and 0.86 square miles is water.[^11] The community's principal road is U.S. Highway 12.[^11] ## How many - **2020 census:** - The census counted 1,900 people in 669 households, with a median age of 33.9.[^12] - Residents under 18 made up 28.6% of the population, and those 65 or older made up 9.7%.[^12] - Of 751 housing units, 10.9% were vacant.[^12] - **2010 census:** The census recorded 1,357 people in 520 households, of which 357 were families.[^12] Population therefore rose by 543 between the two counts.[^12] ## In the at-issue record The at-issue record carries eight items that name Waverly, all in its Humphrey package. The central pair sets Humphrey's 1964 Senate assurances on Title VII beside the 2026 federal complaint brought under that title.[^4][^5] **The assurance.** As quoted in the Supreme Court's opinions in *United Steelworkers v. Weber* (1979), Humphrey's floor statements include the quota disclaimer quoted above (110 Cong. Rec. 6549).[^4] They also include the statement that "this title forbids discriminating against anyone on account of race."[^4] **The statute's text.** Congress wrote the disclaimer into §703(j) of the Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. §2000e-2(j). It provides that "Nothing contained in this subchapter shall be interpreted to require" preferential treatment on account of an imbalance.[^13] The Act is Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241.[^13] **The complaint.** *United States v. State of Minnesota* (No. 0:26-cv-00273, D. Minn.) was filed January 14, 2026. It challenges Minn. Stat. §43A.191 as a Title VII violation.[^5] The project's claims matrix lists the case at the complaint stage, as allegations.[^5] See [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]]. The other Humphrey-package items concern the town as a site. They include the 1977 last address, the 2005 marker, and the Village Hall's campaign speeches, all set out above.[^2][^8] ## In the Minnesota record ### Where - Humphrey's residence was on Lake Waverly, in Waverly, Wright County.[^2][^3] - His last public address, on May 30, 1977, was given in Railroad Park. His memorial marker stands in the same park.[^2] - Waverly Village Hall, where Humphrey made campaign speeches, is in the city.[^8] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Waverly, Minnesota* (rev. 1378268254, retrieved October 27, 2026) — city in Wright County; population 1,900 at the 2020 census; Waverly and Little Waverly lakes and the Crow River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Minnesota [^2]: Historical Marker Database, *Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Historical Marker, Railroad Park, Waverly* (HMdb #78365; marker dedicated September 10, 2005) — Waverly residence; last public address at the park on May 30, 1977; death at the Waverly home on January 13, 1978, age 66; text of Humphrey's "peace of the world" sentence. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=78365 [^3]: KSTP, *So Minnesota: Hubert Humphrey's hometown of Waverly* — corroborates the marker sentence, the Waverly residence and the death at the Waverly home (Wright County Historical Society interview). https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/so-minnesota-hubert-humphrey-hometown-of-waverly/ [^4]: 110 Cong. Rec. 6549 (1964), as quoted in *United Steelworkers v. Weber*, 443 U.S. 193, 231 (1979) (Rehnquist, J., dissenting), per the project's validated Humphrey dossier §IV.5 — Humphrey's Title VII floor statements; the at-issue row lists the complaint among its sources. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn., filed January 14, 2026) — filing date, docket, and the allegation that Minn. Stat. §43A.191 violates Title VII. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^6]: Wikipedia, *Waverly, Minnesota*, Notable people (rev. 1378268254) — Humphrey's 1958 lakefront home and death there in 1978; elementary school named for him; Borrell, Culkin and Soderstrom. The year conflict is recorded in the project dossier §II: acquired mid-1950s, with sources giving 1956 and 1958, deed not retrieved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Minnesota [^7]: Wikipedia, *Hubert Humphrey*, as cited in Time Table row TL-0320 (January 13, 1978) — death at home in Waverly; 33,000 people filed past the casket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Humphrey [^8]: Historical Marker Database, *Waverly Village Hall* (HMdb #213529) — NRHP listing; Humphrey made several speeches there while running for President (graded B in the pack). https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=213529 [^9]: Wikipedia, *National Register of Historic Places listings in Wright County, Minnesota* (data through December 19, 2025) — 20 current listings, including Waverly Village Hall (graded B in the pack). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Wright_County,_Minnesota [^10]: Wikipedia, *Waverly, Minnesota*, History (rev. 1378268254) — 1855 organization of Wright County; 1856 mills and Waverly Mills plat; 1868 Waverly Station; 1869 grain house; pre-settlement vegetation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Minnesota [^11]: Wikipedia, *Waverly, Minnesota*, Geography (rev. 1378268254), citing the United States Census Bureau — area of 2.55 sq mi (1.69 land, 0.86 water); U.S. Highway 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Minnesota [^12]: Wikipedia, *Waverly, Minnesota*, Demographics (rev. 1378268254) — 2020 and 2010 census figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Minnesota [^13]: Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, *42 U.S. Code § 2000e-2* — text of Title VII §703(j); Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/2000e-2