Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign speech files collection

Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign speech files C0203

Historical Information

On November 30, 1967, Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota announced his candidacy for President of the United States. He positioned himself as the anti-Vietnam War candidate to present a clear distinction between himself and the incumbent president, Lyndon Johnson. With the help of younger voters, particularly college students, McCarthy gathered enough support to challenge Johnson in the primaries, and on March 31, 1968, Johnson dropped out of the race rather than face a long nomination battle against McCarthy as well as Robert F. Kennedy. Following Johnson's exit, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey entered the race, and George McGovern joined the race after the assassination of Kennedy on June 5. McCarthy went on to lose the nomination at the Democratic convention in Chicago, and the Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey lost in the general election to Richard M. Nixon. Hampton Brown, the collection donor, worked for the McCarthy campaign.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content

The Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign papers contain documents from six speech file "books" used by the campaign staff. The speeches span from October 1967 to July 1968 and include remarks he gave prior to his entry into the race for the Democratic nomination. Some of the speeches are from campaign stops in particular primary states, such as Nebraska, and the speeches generally document McCarthy's positions on the Vietnam War, the economy, and race relations. Although most of the documents are speeches, there are also transcripts of debates, television appearances, and press conferences. The transcripts include an exchange between McCarthy and Robert Kennedy on ABC television, and another transcript documents McCarthy's appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. A press conference transcript from June 14, 1968, is particularly notable since it appears to be the first press conference McCarthy held following the assassination of Robert Kennedy. The documents are all photocopies, but some of them contain handwritten edits that were also copied.

Return to the Table of Contents

Arrangement

The folders are arranged chronologically.

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no use restrictions for educational use. For purposes other than educational use, the materials are subject to United States Copyright Law.

Return to the Table of Contents

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center also holds other collections United States politics and government in the 20th century.

Return to the Table of Contents

Index Terms

Persons:

Geographical Names:

Subjects:

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Existence and Location of Copies

Copies of these speeches can be found in the Eugene McCarthy papers at the University of Minnesota.

Preferred Citation

Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign speech files collection, Collection #C0203, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Hampton Brown in 2011.

Processing Information

Processed by Jordan Patty in April 2012. EAD markup completed by Jordan Patty in April 2012.

Return to the Table of Contents

Contents List