Aug. 27, 1964 - Senator Hubert H. Humphrey was nominated for Vice President by acclamation at the Democratic National Convention early today.
Humphrey’s name was placed in nomination by Senator Eugene McCarthy, his colleague from Minnesota, after President Johnson had appeared before the convention to name Humphrey as his choice and describe him as “the best man in America for the job.”
In the seats of honor at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall for the long series of speeches supporting the nomination of Humphrey were the President and the Johnson and Humphrey families.
After the voice vote by which Humphrey was unanimously nominated, the Vice-Presidential candidate joined the President in the box of honor.
Because of the late hour — about 12:30 a.m. — and the fact that most of the audience and many of the delegates had left Convention Hall, Humphrey’s acceptance speech was postponed until the final convention session tonight.
President Johnson never had any doubts about Humphrey’s qualifications, but he wanted to get the widest possible support for Humphrey within the Democratic party, and he got it before making his decision at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
Also, the President wanted to make sure that he and Humphrey agreed on their concept of the Vice-Presidency. In Washington yesterday, the two men had a long talk and agreed on the following things:
— The Vice-Presidency, if the Democrats win in November, should have important executive responsibilities.
— The Vice President should supervise the Johnson Administration’s policies on space, disarmament, the antipoverty program, health, education, welfare, and other fields within Humphrey’s special competence.
— The Vice President should take on a great deal of responsibility in the field of foreign affairs. He should represent the President abroad on special missions and assume many of the ceremonial duties that President Johnson has had to carry alone in the last nine months. For this purpose, the President intends to ask the Congress to provide an official residence for the Vice President in Washington.
“I think in all my life,” Johnson told reporters last night before going to Convention Hall, “that I have never taken any decision more seriously than picking Humphrey. I have had one thing in mind above all others, that is that when fellows like you come to write the history of this period, they will say that we paid attention to the main thing.
“I picked Humphrey because, in my judgment, and after checking with leaders all over the country, I was convinced that he would be the best man to be President if anything happened to me.”
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