Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Proponents Build a Strategy for Success—Oral History

Frank Valeo: Secretary of the Senate, 1966-1977; Secretary to the Majority, 1963-1966; Administrative Assistant to Senator Mike Mansfield, 1958-1963

Frank Valeo was the newly appointed Senate Democratic party secretary when he found himself "counting heads" for Majority Leader Mike Mansfield during the protracted debate over the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Featured Excerpts and Audio Clips:

"…it was going to be win or lose but we had to make the attempt."

"He never suggested anyone else but that it would have to be Hubert Humphrey who would carry the ball on the floor."

"…all other business of the Senate would be stopped until the Senate faced what was then the most critical issue in the country."

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