George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL 4400 University Dr. Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Business Number: 703-993-2220 Fax Number: 703-993-8911 speccoll@gmu.edu URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Jordan Patty
Repository
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
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.
There are no use restrictions for educational use. For purposes other than educational use, the materials are subject to
United States Copyright Law. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
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, 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.
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.
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 assasination of Robert Kennedy. The documents are all
photocopies, but some of them contain handwritten edits that were also copied.
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