George McGovern

• Born: July 19, 1922
• Birthplace: Avon, South Dakota
• Died: October 21, 2012
• Place of death: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

In addition to being the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in 1972, McGovern was arguably the leading public voice in opposition to the Vietnam War and a tireless advocate for eradicating hunger.

As a student at Dakota Wesleyan University, McGovern put his education on hold in 1943 to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. For his service as a bomber pilot in the European theater of the war, McGovern was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, returning to his hometown of Mitchell, South Dakota, a hero. After finishing his college degree in 1946, McGovern briefly considered following in his father’s footsteps, enrolling in a theological seminary in Illinois. However, he transferred to Northwestern University, where he earned his Ph.D. in history in 1953.

The same year that he completed his Ph.D., McGovern undertook the challenge of organizing the moribund Democratic Party in South Dakota. As a result of his grassroots efforts, several Democrats were elected at all levels of government in the once Republican-majority state. One of those elected was McGovern himself, who, in 1956, won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. After two terms as representative and an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1960, McGovern joined the administration of John F. Kennedy as director of the Food for Peace program.

Thus began a new chapter in the prairie statesman’s life: crusader for the hungry. McGovern revolutionized not only the Food for Peace program but also the way in which the country dealt with agricultural surpluses and food aid throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. He emerged as the leader of the antihunger movement worldwide, work he would continue during his long tenure in the Senate and after his political career ended. From school lunches to nutritional programs, from support for the domestic farmer to international agricultural exports, McGovern’s fingerprints were evident on the full range of U.S. food programs.

Senator and Presidential Candidate

In 1962, McGovern was successful in his bid to win a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve three terms, being reelected in 1968 and 1974. In 1969, McGovern chaired the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection, which instituted sweeping reforms—making the process more democratic and open to all people—in the way that the Democratic Party selected its presidential nominees. Fittingly, in 1971, the reform leader became the first Democrat to announce candidacy for the 1972 presidential campaign. Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon continued to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and the United States grappled with the meaning of this new kind of war. From his seat in the U.S. Senate and in lecture halls on college campuses across the country, McGovern became the voice and conscience of the antiwar movement. He introduced legislation to limit American involvement in Vietnam and demanded answers to questions that two White Houses avoided.

By the standards of the day, McGovern’s announcement of his presidency campaign came very early. However, the early announcement, tireless grassroots organizing, his notoriety as a leading critic of the Vietnam War, and his following in the youth movement on college campuses across the country helped him secure his party’s nomination among a crowded, competitive field.

The campaign suffered a setback when McGovern’s vice presidential selection, Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri, was discovered to have been hospitalized for mental health problems in the previous decade. McGovern was forced to replace Eagleton, after pledging to stand by his side, ultimately selecting R. Sargent Shriver, former director of the Peace Corps and a Kennedy relative. Although McGovern lost to incumbent Richard M. Nixon by one of the largest margins in presidential election history—winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia—he did earn 38 percent of the popular vote and succeeded in building support for ending the war in Vietnam.

Impact

George McGovern’s antiwar stance and his troubles with his running mate likely cost him his seat in the Senate and the presidency. It is equally likely, however, that his public actions aided the antiwar movement and hastened the ending of the Vietnam War. His idealism, compassion, and liberalism influenced the Democratic Party during the decade, just as his life’s work continued to inspire the peace and antihunger movements.

Subsequent Events

The former presidential candidate lost his bid for a fourth term in the Senate in 1980 and briefly campaigned for the presidency again in 1984. McGovern’s“retirement” from politics freed up time for him to pursue a host of other interests, all the while continuing his work for peace and against hunger. He continued to publish books and editorials at a prolific rate. He served as the head of the Middle East Policy Council from 1991 to 1998, and he was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization in 1998. McGovern’s life work was recognized in 2000 when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. One year later, the United Nations appointed McGovern as the first global ambassador on hunger with its World Food Programme.

Bibliography

Anson, Robert Sam. McGovern: A Biography. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1972. Gives interesting insight into McGovern’s activities during the decade.

Knock, Tom. “Come Home, America: The Story of George McGovern.” In Vietnam and the American Political Tradition: The Politics of Dissent, edited by Randall B. Woods. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Notes McGovern’s important role within the antiwar movement.

McGovern, George. An American Journey: The Presidential Campaign Speeches of George McGovern. New York: Random House, 1974. Gives good insight into McGovern’s rhetoric and the issues that he used to galvanize support.

McGovern, George. Grassroots: The Autobiography of George McGovern. New York: Random House, 1977. McGovern’s life and politics in his own words.

Watson, Robert P., ed. George McGovern: A Political Life, a Political Legacy. Pierre: South Dakota State Historical Society, 2004. Essays discuss such topics as McGovern’s upbringing, military service, and congressional and senatorial terms.