As the senators responsible for managing the floor debate on the civil rights bill, Hubert Humphrey and Thomas Kuchel organized regular bipartisan strategy sessions in Humphrey’s leadership office. At the heart of their strategy was a plan to invoke cloture and force a vote on the civil rights bill. Although the Democrats enjoyed a large majority in the Senate, the party’s deep divisions over the issue of civil rights required Humphrey, a Democrat, and Kuchel, a Republican, to seek the support and cooperation of a strong bipartisan coalition.
credit: U.S. Senate Historical Office
