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Thomas E. Dewey for President
Thomas E. Dewey's campaign logo stating "Dewey in 48".
Campaign1948 Republican primaries
1948 United States presidential election
CandidateThomas E. Dewey
47th Governor of New York
(1943–1954)
Earl Warren
30th Governor of California
(1943–1953)
AffiliationDemocratic Party
StatusAnnounced: January 16, 1948
Official nominee: June 25, 1948
Lost election: November 2, 1948
HeadquartersAlbany, New York
SloganDew it with Dewey
Win with Dewey

In 1948, Thomas E. Dewey and Earl Warren ran an unsuccessful campaign for president and vice president of the United States. They were defeated by Democratic president Harry S. Truman, and his vice presidential nominee Alben W. Barkley. Dewey, a former Republican presidential nominee and the 47th Governor of New York announced his candidacy for election on January 16, 1948. He was challenged in the Republican primaries by Harold Stassen, Robert A. Taft and other minor candidates. Although he won just two contest with 12% of the popular vote in the primaries, he was the widely expected to win the nomination.

Background

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Main article: Thomas E. Dewey
Thomas Dewey in 1944
Dewey in 1944

Thomas E. Dewey was born in Owosso, Michigan, in 1902.[1] He studied Law at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[2] He arrived in New York in 1923,[3] and started his professional career in 1925, as a clerk in the Law office of Larkin, Rathbone & Perry.[4] After being a Federal Prosecutor and a Special prosecutor at a relatively young age, he gained popularity[5] In January 1937, Dewey successfully prosecuted Tootsie Herbert, the leader of New York's poultry racket, and held him guilty for embezzlement.[6] Following Dewey's success in conviction of Herbert, The Montgomery Advertiser labelled him as "a man of destiny", and he became a potential candidate for Attorney General of New York.[7] In 1937, Dewey was nominated as the Republican candidate for Manhattan District Attorney,[8] and defeated his Democratic opponent—Harold Hastings, by a margin of over 100,000 votes.[9] During his tenure as the Manhattan District Attorney, Dewey successfully prosecuted and convicted Richard Whitney, former president of the New York Stock Exchange, for embezzlement.[10] A young girl once said that she can sue god and win, if Dewey is her lawyer.[11]

Dewey was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate for the 1938 New York state election.[12] At the age of 36, he was one of the youngest gubernatorial candidate; the Democratic governor Herbert H. Lehman won his re-election,[a] narrowly defeating Dewey by about 1.3% of the popular vote.[13] After his loss in the gubernatorial election, Dewey's popularity as a nation leader surged when the Gallup Poll showed him as a front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 1940 presidential election.[14] He polled 58% in the general election to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 40%.[14] He contested the Republican primaries, attacking Roosevelt's New Deal policy.[15] He won several statewide contests, and won the overall popular vote.[16] In the Republican National Convention, he was leading the first three ballots, but lost the nomination to Wendell Willkie.[17] He supported Willkie, and humorously said "I led on the wrong three ballots out of six."[17] After leaving the office of District Attorney in 1941, Dewey immediately emerged again as a potential gubernatorial candidate.[18] The Republican State Convention convened at Saratoga, New York, again nominated Dewey as their candidate for the 1942 state election.[19] Dewey won the election, and became the 47th Governor of New York.[20] As governor, he was widely appreciated for enacting laws prohibiting racial or religious discrimination in employment.[21]

Dewey contested the 1944 Republican primaries for the presidency, and won three states.[22] Entering the convention, Dewey was the most likely candidate to win the nomination. He received 1,056 delegates on the first ballot and was nominated the Republican presidential nominee.[23] He selected John W. Bricker as his running mate.[24] The Republican Dewey–Bricker ticked was defeated by the Democratic Roosevelt–Truman ticket.[25] Just 82 days after Roosevelt's fourth inauguration, Roosevelt died, making his vice president, Harry S. Truman, the president.[26]

Gaining the nomination

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Preparing for a run

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During Truman's presidency, his approval ratings had dropped significantly from 80% in early 1945 to 30% in early 1947. In the 1946 midterm election, Republicans won control of both the houses of Congress for the first time since the 1920s.[27] The same year, Dewey was decisively re-elected the governor of New York, easily defeating his Democratic opponent James M. Mead.[28] At his victory rally, various people from the crowd shouted "Dewey for President!".[29] Dewey had decided initially not to run; but after his strong showing in 1944 presidential election, and his re-election as the governor, he appeared as a "winner", who could make the Republicans win the presidency after 16 years.[30] In mid-December, when asked by the press whether he is going to announce his candidacy for the 1948 presidential election, he replied "Certainly not".[31] After 14 years of Democratic government, the Republicans were beginning to gain momentum.[32] Richard Nixon, a young Congressman from California said "The greatest advantage I had in 1946 was that the national trend that year was Republican."[33] The Gallup poll proclaimed Dewey as the front-runner for the Republican nomination. With 52%, he was far ahead of any competitor; with his only major opponent being Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen and Senator Robert A. Taft.[33]

A political cartoon by James T. Berryman, depicting Dewey leaving on a train for a tour of western states. Harold Stassen says "He [Dewey] says he wants to see the sights of the west", to which Robert A. Taft replies "And have a few NON-POLITICAL talks with Republican political leaders".
A political cartoon by James T. Berryman, depicting Dewey leaving for a tour of western states.

At a fundraising event on June 12, 1947, Dewey was introduced by J. Russell Sprague as the "next president of the United States". Dewey replied to Sprague by saying "That was a charming and overgenerous introduction, but I would like to assure Mr. Sprague again in public as I have in private, that I am happy where I am."[34] Despite Dewey's refusal to seek the presidency, the next day's New York Times ran the headline "Dewey's Hat Is Tossed into Ring".[34] Soon after, Dewey's friend and former chairman of Republican National Committee Herbert Brownell Jr. set up campaign headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.[35] Although Dewey was an unannounced candidate, he had made up his mind to contest the presidency. He perceived a threat to his nomination from former Chief of Staff of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower.[36] To increase his chances of winning the nomination, he went on a 6,200 miles (10,000 km) tour of the far-western states in July 1947, coinciding with annual governor's conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.[37] Although he called it a "non-political trip", it allowed him to travel in states with over 300 of the 547 delegates required to secure the presidential nomination.[37] At the governor's conference, he looked for a possible running mate, mostly huddling around Earl Warren, the Republican governor of California.[38]

Although Dewey and Truman agreed on many issues, include civil rights and Marshall plan;[39] Dewey strongly opposed Truman administration's handling of communist offensive in China. On October 24, Robert A. Taft announced his presidential campaign from a press conference.[40] By late 1947, military generals like Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur were heavily persuade to run for president. Leaders of both the Democratic and Republican party organised draft movement to make a joint appeal to Eisenhower to contest as their nominee. Meanwhile, the Dewey campaign considered Eisenhower as the "Willkie of 1948".[41] Determined to undercut Eisenhower, the Dewey campaign spent $5,000 (equivalent to $68,227 in 2023) campaigning against Eisenhower through magazine articles, air debates, and newspapers.[41] On November 15, 1947, a Republican political operative wrote a memo to Dewey,[b] predicting that Soviets would be attempting to influence the 1948 presidential election. It read "the men in the Kremlin are afraid of the Republicans more than they are of the tested Democrats."[42]

Historian and author Andrew Busch described the political scenario as:

"Americans in 1948 had to render judgment on three major policy innovations. It was the first presidential election since depression, war, and the presence of Franklin D. Roosevelt in which the nation could take stock of the New Deal direction of domestic policy. It was also the first election after the establishment of containment as the foreign policy of the United States and the first since Truman had made civil rights an important part of the federal policy agenda... The presidential nominating system in 1948 was substantially different from the reformed system to which we are accustomed, and the differences were important. Primary elections influenced the nomination but did not control it; it was possible to seriously consider a genuine last-minute draft of a candidate; and the national conventions really mattered."[43]

Republican presidential primaries

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In his annual message to the New York legislature, Dewey blamed the Truman Administration for high prices; and shortly after on January 16, 1948, he formally announced his candidacy for president of the United States.[44] Addressing a small group of close advisors in New York's Executive Mansion, Dewey announced his third presidential run.[45][46] Oswald Heck, the speaker of the New York Assembly told the reporters – "The people have only to look at the record he has made at Albany in the last five years to gain assurance that he is the ideal man to successfully guide the nation through the perilous post-war years."[47] Dewey named his campaign team, consisting of Herbert Brownell, J. Russel Sprague, and Edwin F. Jaeckle.[48] On January 23, Eisenhower declined to run for president, asking the publisher of Union-Leader to quash any suggestions of him contesting the primaries or convention.[49] The Republican National Committee started fundraising, and hired Albert Frank-Guenther Law to publicize the campaign. It commissioned a statistical analysis of the 1946 mid-term election, which showed many traditional Democratic voters voting for Republicans.[47] Strongly anticipating him as the next president, various global leaders including former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi met with Dewey in New York.[50] Excluding Dewey, the major contenders in the Republican primaries were Robert Taft and Harold Stassen. By early 1948, both Taft and Stassen were actively campaigning.[46] Stassen, the 40 year old former governor of Minnesota was even younger than Dewey. He organised a door-to-door campaign, which likely helped him gain popularity.[51]

In 1948, only few delegates were picked by the primaries. Primaries were a way to test a candidate's strength through direct election, but winning the primaries didn't secured the nomination. It was possible for last-moment serious candidate to win the nomination at the convention, without contesting primaries.[52] Dewey's strategy for the primaries focused on performing well in early primaries, and maintaining close appeal with the voters.[53]

Republican National Convention

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Campaign

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"I will be president. It is written in the stars."
— Thomas E. Dewey[54]

Initial stages

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Whistle-stop tour

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Media and polls; the final days

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Election day

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Results

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Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote 		Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Harry S. Truman (Incumbent) Democratic[i] Missouri 24,179,347 49.55% 303 Alben W. Barkley Kentucky 303
Thomas E. Dewey Republican[ii] New York 21,991,292 45.07% 189 Earl Warren California 189
Strom Thurmond[iii] States' Rights Democratic South Carolina 1,175,930 2.41% 39 Fielding L. Wright Mississippi 39
Henry A. Wallace Progressive/American Labor New York 1,157,328 2.37% 0 Glen H. Taylor Idaho 0
Norman Thomas Socialist New York 139,569 0.29% 0 Tucker P. Smith Michigan 0
Claude A. Watson Prohibition California 103,708 0.21% 0 Dale Learn Pennsylvania 0
Edward A. Teichert Socialist Labor Pennsylvania 29,244 0.06% 0 Stephen Emery New York 0
Farrell Dobbs Socialist Workers Minnesota 13,613 0.03% 0 Grace Carlson Minnesota 0
Other 3,504 0.01% — Other —
Total 48,793,535 100% 531 531
Needed to win 266 266
Electoral vote
Truman
 
 57.06%
Dewey
 
 35.59%
Thurmond
 
 7.34%
Popular vote
Truman
 
 49.55%
Dewey
 
 45.07%
Thurmond
 
 2.41%
Wallace
 
 2.37%
Others
 
 0.60%

Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 5, 2021.

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1948 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 5, 2021.

  1. ^ In New York, the Truman vote was a fusion of the Democratic and Liberal slates. There, Truman obtained 2,557,642 votes on the Democratic ticket and 222,562 votes on the Liberal ticket.
  2. ^ In Mississippi, the Dewey vote was a fusion of the Republican and Independent Republican slates. There, Dewey obtained 2,595 votes on the Republican ticket and 2,448 votes on the Independent Republican ticket
  3. ^ A Tennessee faithless elector voted for Thurmond/Wright

Aftermath and legacy

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See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Lehman's vote total was a fusion of Democratic Party's votes and American Labor Party's votes, while Dewey's vote total was a fusion of Republican Party's votes and Independent progressive Party's votes. Out of total 4,821,631 votes, Lehman received 1,971,307 Democratic votes and 419,979 Labor Party vote, while Dewey received 2,302,505 Republican votes and 24,387 Independent progressive Party's vote. Thus, Lehman received more votes than Dewey.[13]
  2. ^ The author of the memo is unknown, as signature on the memo was illegible.[42]

References

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  1. ^ Walker 1944, p. 21.
  2. ^ Walker 1944, p. 26.
  3. ^ Walker 1944, p. 28.
  4. ^ Walker 1944, p. 33.
  5. ^ Smith 1982, p. 17.
  6. ^ Smith 1982, pp. 214–215.
  7. ^ Smith 1982, p. 216.
  8. ^ Walker 1944, p. 83.
  9. ^ Smith 1982, p. 239.
  10. ^ Smith 1982, pp. 249–250.
  11. ^ Smith 1982, p. 18.
  12. ^ Walker 1944, pp. 98–99.
  13. ^ a b Walker 1944, pp. 104–105.
  14. ^ a b Smith 1982, p. 285.
  15. ^ Walker 1944, p. 111.
  16. ^ Guide to U.S. Elections 2009, p. 394.
  17. ^ a b Walker 1944, p. 115.
  18. ^ Walker 1944, p. 122.
  19. ^ Walker 1944, p. 123.
  20. ^ Walker 1944, p. 129.
  21. ^ Smith 1982, pp. 30–31.
  22. ^ Guide to U.S. Elections 2009, pp. 395–396.
  23. ^ Guide to U.S. Elections 2009, p. 720.
  24. ^ Guide to U.S. Elections 2009, p. 597.
  25. ^ Smith 1982, p. 438.
  26. ^ Smith 1982, pp. 448–449.
  27. ^ Karabell 2001, p. 41.
  28. ^ Smith 1982, pp. 465–467.
  29. ^ Baime 2020, p. 50.
  30. ^ Farris 2012, p. 139.
  31. ^ Baime 2020, p. 51.
  32. ^ Baime 2020, pp. 52–53.
  33. ^ a b Baime 2020, p. 53.
  34. ^ a b Baime 2020, p. 84.
  35. ^ Baime 2020, p. 84-85.
  36. ^ Smith 1982, p. 481.
  37. ^ a b Smith 1982, p. 475.
  38. ^ Baime 2020, p. 118.
  39. ^ Baime 2020, p. 86.
  40. ^ Baime 2020, p. 87.
  41. ^ a b Smith 1982, p. 482.
  42. ^ a b Baime 2020, p. 89.
  43. ^ Busch 2012, p. 2.
  44. ^ Busch 2012, p. 82.
  45. ^ Baime 2020, pp. 118–119.
  46. ^ a b Karabell 2001, p. 93.
  47. ^ a b Baime 2020, p. 119.
  48. ^ Baime 2020, p. 85.
  49. ^ Smith 1982, p. 483.
  50. ^ Baime 2020, p. 120.
  51. ^ Karabell 2001, p. 97.
  52. ^ Karabell 2001, p. 99.
  53. ^ Busch 2012, p. 83.
  54. ^ Baime 2020, p. 48.

Works cited

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Journals and articles

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