Muriel Humphrey Brown

Muriel Humphrey Brown
United States Senator from Minnesota
In office January 25, 1978 – November 7, 1978
Appointed by	Rudy Perpich
Preceded by	Hubert Humphrey
Succeeded by	David Durenberger
Second Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1965 – January 20, 1969
Vice President	Hubert Humphrey
Preceded by	Lady Bird Johnson
Succeeded by	Judy Agnew
Personal details
Born	Muriel Fay Buck (1912-02-20)February 20, 1912 Huron, South Dakota
Died	September 20, 1998(1998-09-20) (aged 86) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Spouse(s)	Hubert Humphrey (1936–1978, his death) Max Brown (1981–1998, her death)
Children	Hubert III, Nancy, Robert, and Douglas
Alma mater	Huron College

Muriel Fay Buck Humphrey Brown (February 20, 1912 — September 20, 1998) was the widow of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. After her husband died, she was appointed to take his seat in the Senate, so she became the first wife of a Vice President to hold public office. She later remarried and chose the name Muriel Humphrey Brown.

Early life and education

She was born in Huron, South Dakota to Andrew E. Buck and his wife, the former Jessie Mae Pierce. Her birth name is Muriel Fay Buck. She attended Huron College, where she met Humphrey in 1934, while working as a bookkeeper. They got married on September 3, 1936. They had four children: Hubert III, Nancy, Robert, and Douglas.

Politics

Humphrey was appointed as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party by Rudy Perpich, the Governor of Minnesota, to the Senate vacancy caused by her husband's death. She had served from January 25, 1978 to November 7, 1978 in the 95th United States Congress. She was the first spouse of a former Vice President to serve in Congress, as well as the first woman to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. She was not a candidate for the special election for the remaining term. "It was the most challenging thing I've done in my whole life," she said. Twenty-eight years later, Amy Klobuchar, a fellow Democratic-Farmer-Labor, would become the first woman to be elected to the United States Senate from Minnesota.