Hubert Horatio "Buck" Humphrey IV (born November 24, 1969) is an American political aide and communications executive from Minnesota. A member of the Humphrey political family, he was the DemocraticâÂÂFarmerâÂÂLabor nominee for Minnesota Secretary of State in 2002. He later served in senior communications roles in the federal government and subsequently worked in government affairs and public affairs consulting.
Humphrey was born in Ramsey County, Minnesota, and raised in the Twin Cities region. He is the son of former Minnesota attorney general Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III and the grandson of U.S. Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. He earned a bachelor's degree from American University and a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University, as recorded in candidate records and professional biographies.
Humphrey began his career in municipal government as a policy aide in Minneapolis and subsequently moved into statewide campaign operations and DFL organizing in the late 1990s and early 2000s, working on outreach and field operations across Minnesota.
Humphrey served in senior state campaign roles for national Democratic presidential campaigns. He was part of the Minnesota operation for the 2000 Gore campaign and later held a senior state leadership role for Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign in Minnesota, coordinating state staff and local outreach efforts; these roles are documented in contemporary campaign materials and later professional profiles.
Humphrey announced his candidacy for Minnesota Secretary of State in December 2001 and won the DFL nomination to challenge incumbent Mary Kiffmeyer in the November 2002 general election.
Contemporary Minnesota press covered Humphrey's platform, debates with the incumbent, fundraising and campaign controversies; official records and newspaper reporting document those items.
Humphrey's prior driving-under-the-influence arrests were reported during and after the 2002 campaign and were raised in media coverage of the race. In October 2017 the St. Cloud Times reported that Humphrey faced a fourth DWI charge and summarized earlier proceedings; the article noted that Humphrey had previously pleaded guilty to a drunken driving offense and described the sentence imposed in that earlier case, which included probation, an ignition interlock requirement and work-crew time as reported by independent news outlets.
A later Star Tribune article reported on Humphrey's guilty plea to drunken driving and the sentence imposed; the reporting summarized the court disposition and the sentence terms without extraneous detail.
Following his state political work, Humphrey served in senior communications and public affairs roles in the federal government. Professional biographies and agency leadership listings identify communications and spokesperson responsibilities during his federal tenure, including work with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services communications office within the Department of Homeland Security.
After federal service Humphrey moved into government affairs and public-affairs consulting. Firm biographies and professional listings document his roles leading regional practice groups and advising clients on legislative, procurement and public-affairs matters in Minnesota and Washington, D.C.; he has been associated with Forbes-Tate and Hill Capitol Strategies in Minnesota.