As the lengthy debate over H.R. 7152, the House-passed civil rights bill, continued through the spring of 1964, the Senate’s bipartisan team of civil rights proponents worked tirelessly to gain the necessary 67 votes to invoke cloture on the bill, end the filibuster, and allow for final passage. To reach that difficult goal, the bill’s managers, Hubert Humphrey and Thomas Kuchel, turned to Minority Leader Everett Dirksen. Only Dirksen could provide the Republican votes needed to invoke cloture. On June 10, in a dramatic roll call vote, the Senate achieved that goal, allowing for final passage of the bill.
