George Stanley McGovern

McGovern, George Stanley (1922– ), U.S. senator from South Dakota and the 1972 Democratic presidential candidate. A leading advocate of an end to the Vietnam War, he campaigned for a broad program of social and political reforms. He initially attracted substantial support from liberals, but encountered serious party divisions that hurt his campaign. Richard Nixon won with a record 61% of the popular vote. McGovern unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination again in 1984.