Thomas E. Dewey and The Election of 1948

Thomas E. Dewey and The Election of 1948 Thomas E. Dewey was born and raised in Owosso, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1923, then obtained his degree from Columbia Law School in 1925. [1] While at the University of Michigan, he was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He was also a writer for The Michigan Daily. Dewey was a prosecutor in New York City in the 1930s.[1] In 1936 Dewey assisted in the indictment and conviction of Richard Whitney, the former president in the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Dewey received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York in 1936. Dewey was elected District Attorney of New York County in 1937. He was said to be an efficient and honest governor. He cut taxes, increased the state aid for education, raised salaries for state employees, and reduced the state's debt. He also put through the first state law in the United States that made it illegal to discriminate racially in employment. Governor Dewey signed the paper that created New York State University. Dewey also was a strong supporter of the death penalty. During his 12 years as Governor New York authority executed just under 100 people. Dewey ran for the 1940 Republican nomination, but ended up losing to Wendell Willkie. At the time Dewey was considered an isolationist. Dewey'sposition evolved during the 1940s; he was generally considered an internationalist and classed with the moderates in later years. Dewey was once again a Republican candidate in the 1948 presidential election he was predicted unanimously as the winner. Newspaper in Chicago printed "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" as its post-election headline, issuing almost a thousand co... ... middle of paper ... ...olid South" in his column, although the Dixiecrats carried 39 electoral votes from four states: Mississip, Bama, S. Carolina, and Lousiana and , one electoral vote from Tennessee. In 1952 Dewey did not run for President ,but helped secure the Republican nomination for Dwight Eisenhower. Dewey convinced Eisenhower to campaign against Taft. Dewey used his powerful political leverage to help Eisenhower obtain the support of New York delegates. At the Republican Convention, Taft delegates and speakers verbally attacked, but Dewey was satisfied when he witnessed Eisenhower win over Taft. Works Cited • Foner, Eric. Give me liberty!: an American history. Seagull third ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. • Columbia University, Press. 2013. "Thomas Edmund Dewey." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition 1. History Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed April 30, 2014).