George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian, author, U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 presidential election.McGovern grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where he was a renowned debater. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Forces upon the country's entry into World War II and as a B-24 Liberator pilot flew 35 missions over German-occupied Europe. Among the medals bestowed upon him was a Distinguished Flying Cross for making a hazardous emergency landing of his damaged plane and saving his crew. After the war he gained degrees from Dakota Wesleyan University and Northwestern University, culminating in a PhD, and was a history professor. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and re-elected in 1958. After a failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 1960, he was a successful candidate in 1962.As a senator, McGovern was an exemplar of modern American liberalism. He became most known for his outspoken opposition to the growing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He staged a brief nomination run in the 1968 presidential election as a stand-in for the assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. The subsequent McGovern–Fraser Commission fundamentally altered the presidential nominating process, by greatly increasing the number of caucuses and primaries and reducing the influence of party insiders. The McGovern–Hatfield Amendment sought to end the Vietnam War by legislative means but was defeated in 1970 and 1971. McGovern's long-shot, grassroots-based 1972 presidential campaign found triumph in gaining the Democratic nomination but left the party badly split ideologically, and the failed vice-presidential pick of Thomas Eagleton undermined McGovern's credibility. In the general election McGovern lost to incumbent Richard Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history. Re-elected Senator in 1968 and 1974, McGovern was defeated in a bid for a fourth term in 1980.Throughout his career, McGovern was involved in issues related to agriculture, food, nutrition, and hunger. As the first director of the Food for Peace program in 1961, McGovern oversaw the distribution of U.S. surpluses to the needy abroad and was instrumental in the creation of the United Nations-run World Food Programme. As sole chair of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs from 1968 to 1977, McGovern publicized the problem of hunger within the United States and issued the "McGovern Report", which led to a new set of nutritional guidelines for Americans. McGovern later served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 1998 to 2001 and was appointed the first UN Global Ambassador on World Hunger by the World Food Programme in 2001. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program has provided school meals for millions of children in dozens of countries since 2000 and resulted in McGov
My business associates and I also lived with federal, state and local rules that were all passed with the objective of helping employees, protecting the environment, raising tax dollars for schools, protecting our customers from fire hazards, etc. While I never have doubted the worthiness of any of these goals, the concept that most often eludes legislators is: "Can we make consumers pay the higher prices for the increased operating costs that accompany public regulation and government reporting requirements with reams of red tape." It is a simple concern that is nonetheless often ignored by legislators.
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In short, "one-size-fits-all" rules for business ignore the reality of the marketplace. And setting thresholds for regulatory guidelines at artificial levels - e.g., 50 employees or more, $500,000 in sales - takes no account of other realities, such as profit margins, labor intensive vs. capital intensive businesses, and local market economics.
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In retrospect, I wish I had known more about the hazards and difficulties of such a business, especially during a recession of the kind that hit New England just as I was acquiring the inn's 43-year leasehold. I also wish that during the years I was in public office, I had had this firsthand experience about the difficulties business people face every day. That knowledge would have made me a better U.S. senator and a more understanding presidential contender.
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We know that the kingdom of God will not come from a political party's platform. And we also know that if someone is hungry, we should give him food. If he is thirsty, we should give him drink. If he is a stranger, we should take him in. If he is naked, we should clothe him. If he is sick, we should care for him. And if he is in prison, we should visit him.
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Richard Nixon]'d have been better off if I'd beaten him! Then he'd be remembered for the EPA and China instead of Watergate.
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[after presidential candidate John F. Kennedy had given a flop speech to South Dakota farmers] I told him, 'Just walk out there and say, "Food is health, strength, hope and family, and the farmers of South Dakota can do more for world peace than any group of Americans. If I'm elected president, I'm going to set up a Food for Peace program and turn our surpluses to move the world ahead into a greater measure of abundance and peace and prosperity."' He got thunderous applause.
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The Republicans [of 2012] remind me of 'Send in the Clowns,' but I never expected I'd live long enough to see a politician from either party try to cut Social Security and Medicare. Barack Obama shouldn't cut or compromise on either, and if the Democrats act like Democrats, they should win big.
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I used to tell my daughters, 'The one positive thing about Vietnam is that it's such an obvious blunder we'll never go down that road again.' Yet here we are. It doesn't look like we've learned that lesson yet.
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[on his McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Nutrition Act]: You can cut the birthrate in half on the strength of a school lunch program that pulls girls into schools.
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I was so excited when the Massachusetts returns came in, but then there was the rest of the country. And I said, '...I did my job right'. (recalling the outcome of the 1972 presidential election)
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I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.
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"I opened the doors of the Democratic Party and 20 million people walked out".
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It's true that I lost to Richard Nixon in the general election by a big margin. But that wasn't my mistake. That was the mistake of the voters.
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I am 1000 percent for Thomas Eagleton and I have no intention of dropping him from the ticket.
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The trouble was, all people saw on television were a few of my outspoken supporters out front; and they came away thinking that was me.
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The whole campaign was a tragic case of mistaken identity.
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No man should advocate a course in private that he's ashamed to admit in public.
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The longer the title, the less important the job.
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You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing.
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Fact
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Following his service as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in WWII and receiving a PhD in history from Northwestern University, McGovern, whose parents were Republican and who had registered as an Independent, volunteered for the 1948 presidential campaign of Henry Wallace of the Progressive Party. Wallace, who served as an extremely popular vice president under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, eventually left the Democratic Party stemming from an anti-democratic ouster orchestrated by Edwin Pauley and conservative elements within the Party, at the 1944 Democratic National Convention (DNC), where he was replaced by Harry S. Truman as Roosevelt's health was failing (thus leading Truman to the presidency rather than Wallace). In 1952, McGovern became a Democrat and a supporter of Adlai Stevenson. McGovern would later face intrigue against him within the Democratic Party during his 1972 presidential bid against President Richard Nixon.
2
Democrat US Congressional representative from South Dakota, 3 January 1957-3 January 1961.
3
In 1984, twelve years after being nominated for president, he sought the Democratic presidential nomination again, but lost to Walter Mondale. He considered running for president again in 1992, but decided against it.
4
During an appearance on Larry King Live in January 2007, he publicly revealed that he voted for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election, despite Ford's status as a Republican. He said it was because he felt comfortable with Ford and did not know Jimmy Carter very well. However, he admittedly voted for Carter in 1980 against Ronald Reagan, although Carter ultimately lost his re-election bid.
5
Described himself as "1,000 percent" for Thomas Eagleton, when he chose him as his running mate for the presidential race. However, when it was revealed that Eagleton had been hospitalized in the past for depression, and had undergone electroshock therapy, he was replaced with Sargent Shriver.
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As a critic against the Vietnam War, and an advocate of withdrawing the U.S. military from Vietnam, he ran his presidential campaign with the slogan "Come Home America".
7
In December 1994, his daughter Teresa died of exposure while intoxicated. He later founded a non-profit alcohol research organization in her name, and wrote book in which he discussed Teresa's longtime battle with alcoholism.
8
Attended graduate school at Northwestern University.
9
Children: Ann, Susan, Mary, Teresa, Steven.
10
Democrat US senator from South Dakota, 3 January 1963-3 January 1981.
11
Was a Democratic nominee for U.S. President in 1972, but was defeated in a landslide when Richard Nixon was re-elected, winning in every state except Massachusetts. Nixon resigned, facing impeachment, less than two years later.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Candidate
1972
Senator George McGovern (as Senator George McGovern)
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hubert H Humphrey: The Art of the Possible
2010
TV Movie documentary special thanks
Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film
2006
Documentary special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity
2015
Documentary
Himself
America's Book of Secrets
2013
TV Series documentary
Himself
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Shirley MacLaine
2012
TV Movie
Himself
Charlie Rose
2001-2012
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Andrew Young Presents
2011
TV Series documentary
Himself
Fulbright: The Man, the Mission, and the Message
2011
Documentary
Himself
The Foods That Make Billions
2010
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - US Senator 1963-1981
Hubert H Humphrey: The Art of the Possible
2010
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Former U.S. Senator from South Dakota (as George McGovern Senator)
The Lost Son of Havana
2009
Documentary
Himself
Democracy Now!
2008
TV Series
Himself
The Colbert Report
2008
TV Series
Himself
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
2008
Documentary
Himself
Commander 'N Thief
2007
Documentary
Himself (as George S. McGovern)
Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film
2006
Documentary
Himself
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
2006
Documentary
Himself
Road to Hunter
2006
Documentary short
Himself
One Bright Shining Moment
2005
Documentary
Himself
Rush to War
2004
Documentary
Himself
Breakfast with Hunter
2003
Documentary
Himself (as Senator George McGovern)
Biography
2000
TV Series documentary
Himself
Robert F. Kennedy: A Memoir
1998
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Anthem
1997
Documentary
Himself
Newhart
1990
TV Series
Himself
Firing Line
1988
TV Series
Himself - For the Negative
Saturday Night Live
1984
TV Series
Himself - Host / Various
Samantha Smith Goes to Washington: Campaign '84
1984
TV Movie
Himself
Good Morning America
1978
TV Series
Himself
The Mike Douglas Show
1971-1978
TV Series
Himself - Senator McGovern / Himself - US Senator
Today
1973
TV Series
Himself
The David Frost Show
1969-1971
TV Series
Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1969
TV Series
Himself - Guest
HHH: What Manner of Man
1968
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Changing World
1966
TV Series documentary
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Rich Hall's Presidential Grudge Match
2016
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Warren Beatty, une obsession hollywoodienne
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - politician
Imminent Threat
2015
Documentary
Himself
The Seventies
2015
TV Series documentary
Himself - Democratic Presidental Nominee / Himself
1971
2014
Documentary
Himself, senator, South Dakota
Our Nixon
2013
Documentary
Himself
Democracy Now!
2012
TV Series
Himself
Inside the Eagleton Affair
2012
Short
Himself
10 Things You Don't Know About
2012
TV Series documentary
Himself
Fat Head
2009
Documentary
Himself
The Fight for the White House
2008
Video documentary
Himself
Hardball with Chris Matthews
2004
TV Series
Himself
Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
2004
Documentary
Himself
Get Up, Stand Up
2003
TV Series documentary
Himself
The Speeches of Robert F. Kennedy
1995
Video
Himself - Behind RFK
Nixon
1995
Himself - Facing the Press (uncredited)
The Wonder Years
1992
TV Series
Himself
Quantum Leap
1989
TV Series
Himself
The War at Home
1979
Documentary
Himself - 1968 Democratic National Convention (uncredited)