George
Stanley McGovern is a former United States Representative, Senator, 1972 Democratic
Presidential nominee, and a leader in the struggle to end world hunger for five
decades. After flying combat missions in World War II and then teaching as a history
and political science professor, George McGovern entered politics and was elected
to the US Congress in 1956. In 1960, John F. Kennedy appointed him as the
first director of the Food for Peace Programme, and George McGovern played a major
role in the creation of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in 1963.
He was elected to the US Senate in 1962 and served until 1981. George McGovern
was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in 1972 but lost to Richard Nixon.
While in the Senate, he led the way to expand important nutrition programs, serving
as a member of the Senate committees on agriculture, forestry, foreign relations
and nutrition. He was a strong opponent to the United States involvement in the
Vietnam War. After retiring from the Senate, George McGovern continued working
to end world hunger, serving as ambassador to the UN Agencies on Food and Agriculture
in Rome from 1998-2001; was chosen as the WFP's first Goodwill Ambassador in 2001;
and jointly with former Senator Bob Dole, created an international school lunch
program for children in developing countries. In 2000, George McGovern was awarded
America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
