Gordon J. Humphrey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gordon J. Humphrey
United States Senator from New Hampshire
In office January 3, 1979 – December 4, 1990
Preceded by	Thomas McIntyre
Succeeded by	Bob Smith
Member of the New Hampshire Senate from the 17th district
In office December 5, 1990 – December 2, 1992
Preceded by	William A. Johnson
Succeeded by	John Barnes Jr.
Personal details
Born	Gordon John Humphrey (1940-10-09) October 9, 1940 (age 84) Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Republican (before 2016) Independent (2016–present)
Spouse	Patricia Green
Education	George Washington University University of Maryland, College Park

Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is an American politician from New Hampshire. He served two terms as a U.S. Senator for the Republican Party from 1979 to 1990. He also ran for Governor of New Hampshire twice, but did not win.

Early Life and Education

Gordon Humphrey was born in Bristol, Connecticut. Before becoming a politician, he worked in aviation. He was in the United States Air Force for several years. After college, where he studied at George Washington University and the University of Maryland, College Park, he became a professional pilot.

Humphrey shared that he changed his political views from being a liberal to a conservative because of his own thinking. In 1977, he became a leader for the New Hampshire group of the Conservative Caucus. He helped organize events and gather signatures for petitions.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

Senate Elections

In 1978, Gordon Humphrey won an election to the U.S. Senate. This was a big win because he was only a local activist and did not hold any political office before. He defeated Thomas J. McIntyre, who had been a senator for three terms, by a small difference. Humphrey ran his campaign mostly by himself and with the help of Patricia Green, a former teacher whom he later married.

He was easily reelected in 1984. He won against Norman D'Amours, who was a five-term Democratic congressman. Humphrey decided not to run for a third term in 1990. He had promised to serve only two terms.

Committee Work in the Senate

As a Senator, Humphrey worked on important committees. These included the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Armed Services Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. He was also a leader in the Congressional Task Force on Afghanistan. This group helped shape U.S. policy during the Soviet–Afghan War. He voted against the federal budget every year he was in the Senate. He did this because the proposed budget always had a deficit, meaning it spent more money than it took in.

Role at the 1988 Republican Convention

Humphrey played a big part at the 1988 Republican National Convention. He was a leader for delegates who held conservative views. He helped make sure that Dan Quayle was chosen as the vice-presidential candidate. Humphrey gathered support from several state delegations to back their own candidate if someone they didn't like was chosen by George H. W. Bush.

Later Political Career

On March 5, 1989, Humphrey announced he would not run for a third term in the Senate. He felt that two terms were enough. Instead, he ran for and won a seat in the New Hampshire State Senate in 1990, serving one term. There were talks about him possibly running for president in 1988 and 1992, but he did not.

Humphrey returned to New Hampshire politics in 2000. He challenged the sitting Governor, Jeanne Shaheen. He promised to stop new statewide taxes. However, he was narrowly defeated in a close election.

He ran for governor again in 2002 as a Republican. He finished third in the race. After this campaign, he said it would be his last time running for office.

Life After Politics

Humphrey in 2015

In 2004, Humphrey started working in radio. He bought an AM radio station in Concord, called WKXL. He lives in Chichester, New Hampshire with his wife, Patricia. They have two children.

Support for Edward Snowden

In 2013, Humphrey gained attention for supporting Edward Snowden. Snowden is a whistleblower who shared information about how the government was collecting data on many people. Humphrey, who used to be on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, contacted Snowden. He told Snowden that he believed he did the right thing by showing what he saw as a big violation of the United States Constitution.

Humphrey also said that officials who misused their power should be held accountable. Snowden thanked Humphrey for his message.

2016 Presidential Election

In 2015, Humphrey supported John Kasich, who was the Governor of Ohio, for President in 2016. During the Republican presidential primaries in 2016, Humphrey tried to prevent Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee. He hoped that Republican leaders would speak out against Trump. On November 6, 2016, just two days before the election, Humphrey officially supported Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. That same month, Humphrey left the Republican Party and became an independent.

Calling for President Trump's Removal

On August 9, 2017, Humphrey called for President Trump to be removed from office. He wrote a letter to his member of Congress, Democratic Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.

Images for kids

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  Gordon J. Humphrey

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  Humphrey in 2015