Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944

Last updated
Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944
Choosing Truman, The Democratic Convention of 1944 book cover.jpeg
Author Robert H. Ferrell
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Non-fiction
Publisher University of Missouri Press
Publication date
1994
Pages137
ISBN 978-0-8262-7298-0

Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944 is a 1994 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell about the political convention in Chicago which nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for his fourth election to the U.S. presidency, but jettisoned Vice President Henry A. Wallace in favor of Missouri Sen. Harry S. Truman. The choice was particularly significant because Roosevelt would die in office the following year, making Truman the 33rd president. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Author

Ferrell, a professor emeritus at Indiana University and one of the country's leading historians, [4] was widely considered the preeminent authority on the history of the Truman administration. [5] [6] He was a prolific author or editor of more than 60 books on a wide range of topics, including the U.S. presidency, World War I, and U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy. Ferrell devoted particular attention to Truman, writing or editing more than a dozen books on his life and presidency, including the 1983 New York Times bestseller Dear Bess: The Letters From Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 , [7] the 1994 biography Harry S. Truman: A Life , [8] 2002's The Autobiography of Harry S. Truman, [9] and 1980's Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman . [10]

Synopsis

Ferrell recounts the intrigue and behind-the-scenes machinations during the convention—"devious, furtive, roundabout business" [1] :1— that led to Wallace's ouster and Truman's rise. Roosevelt's failing health in 1944 was an open secret, and Democratic Party leaders were worried that whoever was his vice president would inevitably have to take over. [3] Many party officials distrusted Wallace, particularly chairman Robert E. Hannegan, who "wanted to be known as the man who saved the country from Henry Wallace." [1] :xii He and other party leaders, including outgoing Frank C. Walker and treasurer Edwin W. Pauley, wanted to find an alternative choice. Roosevelt himself was an obstacle to this; he had come to see himself as "irreplaceable," Ferrell writes, and "refused to consider the possibility he might die" and considered his choice of running mate inconsequential in comparison to other pressing issues, such as World War II. [1] :ix-xii Roosevelt's typically "secretive [and] manipulative" behavior also made it difficult for others to know his true intentions in the matter. [1] :90

Instead of Wallace, several others were considered but rejected, including conservative South Carolina politician James F. Byrnes, a top Roosevelt aide and former Supreme Court justice; [1] :35-40 another Supreme Court justice, William O. Douglas; [11] Kentucky Sen. Alben Barkley; and House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas. [1] :5 Truman, though he did not actively seek the nomination, was chosen by the party leaders, and Roosevelt agreed to the choice in an early meeting at the convention. [1] :14 However, Roosevelt confused the issue by later throwing support behind both Wallace and Byrnes. The outcome was in doubt for much of the convention, including a moment when the vice president's supporters started a chant of "We want Wallace!" that turned into "a shouting, cheering, volatile crowd of 35,000 people." [1] :79 When the vote was taken, Wallace was ahead after the first ballot, but by the third and final ballot, Truman had won decisively with 1,031 votes. The loss of the nomination would be the doom of Wallace's political career. The following year, Truman forced Wallace to resign as Secretary of Commerce, and he retired from politics soon after that. [12] Wallace ran for President as the leader of the Progressive Party in 1948. [13]

In his conclusion, Ferrell argues that the then-prevalent system of political bosses worked well in this case to navigate a difficult and complex decision, but that Roosevelt was unnecessarily manipulative and could have swung the election in a different direction. He also states that Truman actually did want the nomination but felt that his best chance was to seem disinterested, and that his feigned reluctance "was his armor" in winning the vice presidency. [1] :90-95

Critical response

Reaction to the book was positive.

Ohio University professor Alonzo Hamby, writing in the Indiana Magazine of History , called the book "'court history' of a type that would have been recognized by chroniclers of the doings and intrigues of the powerful at least since Machiavelli and Shakespeare." He also praised the book's depth, saying that "no one has researched this particular problem as intensively as Ferrell." [14] Patrick J. Maney, in the Journal of Southern History , wrote that "Ferrell's engaging book with its memorable sketches of the key players helps clarify an undeniably important episode in the Roosevelt administration. … bring[ing] convincing analysis and abundant fresh detail, most of it drawn from a variety of manuscript and oral history collections." [15] Richard Kirkendall, writing in The Annals of Iowa , called the book "impressively researched, well-written, and forcefully argued," but felt that the book could have more closely examined why Roosevelt chose to break with Wallace, as well as the motivations of rank-and-file Democrats at the convention. [12] Political scientist Nelson W. Polsby, in Presidential Studies Quarterly , wrote that "Ferrell is in full command of the politics of the era, and puts the episode into a well worked out historical context." [16]

Related Research Articles

1944 United States presidential election American election

The 1944 United States presidential election was the 40th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1944. The election took place during World War II. Incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Thomas E. Dewey to win an unprecedented fourth term. Until 1996, this would be the last time in which an incumbent Democratic president would win re-election after serving a full term in office.

1948 United States presidential election American election

The 1948 United States presidential election was the 41st quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1948. In one of the greatest election upsets in American history, incumbent President Harry S. Truman, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Governor Thomas E. Dewey.

Henry A. Wallace Former Vice President of the United States

Henry Agard Wallace was an American politician, journalist, and farmer who served as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the 33rd vice president of the United States, and the 10th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was also the presidential nominee of the left-wing Progressive Party in the 1948 election.

Dixiecrat Former United States political party (1948)

The States' Rights Democratic Party was a short-lived segregationist political party in the United States, active primarily in the South. It arose due to a Southern regional split in opposition to the Democratic Party. After President Harry S. Truman, a member of the Democratic Party, ordered integration of the military in 1948 and other actions to address civil rights of African Americans, many Southern conservative white politicians who objected to this course organized themselves as a breakaway faction. The Dixiecrats were determined to protect Southern states' rights to maintain racial segregation.

James F. Byrnes American politician

James Francis Byrnes was an American judge and politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrnes served in Congress, the executive branch, and on the United States Supreme Court. He was also the 104th governor of South Carolina, making him one of the very few politicians to have served in the highest levels of all three branches of the American federal government while also being active in state government.

Robert E. Hannegan

Robert Emmet Hannegan was a St. Louis, Missouri politician who served as Commissioner of Internal Revenue from October 1943 to January 1944. He also served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1944 to 1947 and United States Postmaster General from 1945 to 1947. After his political career, in 1947, Hannegan and partner Fred Saigh purchased the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. But Hannegan, ill with heart disease, sold his share in the team to Saigh a few months before his death.

Harry S. Truman 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after serving as the 34th vice president. He implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, and established the Truman Doctrine and NATO.

1944 Democratic National Convention

The 1944 Democratic National Convention was held at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois from July 19 to July 21, 1944. The convention resulted in the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term. Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri was nominated for vice president. Including Roosevelt's nomination for the vice-presidency in 1920, it was the fifth time Roosevelt had been nominated on a national ticket. The keynote address was given by Governor Robert S. Kerr of Oklahoma, in which he "gave tribute to Roosevelt's war leadership and new deal policies."

Robert Hugh Ferrell was an American historian and a prolific author or editor of more than 60 books on a wide range of topics, including the U.S. presidency, World War I, and U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy. One of the country's leading historians, Ferrell was widely considered the preeminent authority on the administration of Harry S. Truman, and also wrote books about half a dozen other 20th-century presidents. He was thought by many in the field to be the "dean of American diplomatic historians," a title he disavowed.

This Bibliography of Harry S. Truman is a selective list of scholarly works about Harry S. Truman, the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953).

Presidency of Harry S. Truman U.S. presidential administration from 1945 to 1953

The presidency of Harry S. Truman began on April 12, 1945, when Harry S. Truman became President of the United States upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and ended on January 20, 1953. He had been Vice President of the United States for only 82 days when he succeeded to the presidency. A Democrat from Missouri, he ran for and won a full four–year term in the 1948 election. Although exempted from the newly-ratified Twenty-second Amendment, Truman did not run again in the 1952 election and was succeeded in office by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1944 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

The Democratic Party's 1944 nomination for Vice President of the United States was determined at the 1944 Democratic National Convention, on July 21, 1944. U.S. Senator Harry S. Truman from Missouri was nominated to be President Franklin D. Roosevelt's running-mate in his bid to be re-elected for a fourth term.

Herman B. Baruch American banker

Herman B. Baruch was an American physician and diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands and Portugal.

Alexander F. Whitney American labor leader

Alexander F. Whitney was an American railway worker who became president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT). He was an influential labor leader during the Great Depression and World War II, and in the years immediately following the war. He was the principal leader of a two-day railroad strike in May 1946 that paralyzed the nation.

James K. Vardaman Jr.

James Kimble Vardaman Jr. (1894–1972) was an American lawyer from Mississippi, a US Navy captain during World War II, and political aide to President Harry S. Truman. He had worked as counsel for banks in Missouri before the war, and was appointed as a Governor of the Federal Reserve System, serving from 1946 to 1958.

<i>Harry S. Truman: A Life</i> 1994 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell

Harry S. Truman: A Life is a 1994 biography of Harry S. Truman, president of the United States from 1945 to 1953, by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell. Although it was overshadowed by the popular success of David McCullough's Pulitzer-winning biography Truman, Ferrell's book was widely praised by scholars in his field.

<i>Dear Bess</i> 1983 book of Harry S. Truman writings, edited by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell

Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 is a 1983 book edited by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell collecting more than 500 letters from U.S. president Harry S. Truman to his wife Bess, ranging from the couple's early courtship to his post-presidency retirement. Well-regarded by other historians, the book also achieved popular success, becoming a New York Times bestseller.

<i>Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman</i> 1980 book of Trumans writings edited by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell

Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman is a 1980 book edited by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell which collects writings and correspondence by Truman, the 33rd U.S. president, between 1945 and 1971. Historian Donald R. McCoy, writing in Presidential Studies Quarterly, called it a work of "great scholarly value … which is easily one of the most important and interesting books dealing with the recent Presidency published during the past decade."

<i>The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1944–1945</i> 1998 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell

The Dying President: Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1944–1945 is a 1998 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell about the cardiovascular illness which Roosevelt suffered during the last year of his life and presidency. Ferrell examines the lengths to which the president and his medical advisers went to keep the public in the dark about the illness, as well as the political and diplomatic problems that arose both from the illness and the secrecy. He argues that Roosevelt was too sick to have remained in office, and that his inability to work led to critical foreign-policy mistakes in the closing year of World War II and a failure to properly prepare Harry S. Truman to take over as president after Roosevelt's death.

<i>Ill-Advised: Presidential Health and Public Trust</i> 1992 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell

Ill-Advised: Presidential Health and Public Trust is a 1992 book by historian Robert Hugh Ferrell examining politically motivated cover-ups of serious medical issues afflicting U.S. presidents while they were in office. Although Dwight Eisenhower is the main focus of the book, it covers the presidency for a century, from Grover Cleveland's mouth cancer in 1893 to the health of George H.W. Bush, then-current president when the book was first published. All of these instances, Ferrell argues, raised serious questions about the fitness of each president to hold office, as well as whether the presidents and their physicians violated the public trust in keeping the incidents secret.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ferrell, Robert H. (1994). Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944. University of Missouri Press. ISBN   978-0-8262-7298-0.
  2. ↑ "Review: Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944". Publishers Weekly. 1994-04-04. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  3. 1 2 "Hardcovers in Brief". The Washington Post . 1994-03-27. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  4. ↑ Schudel, Matt (2018-08-23). "Robert H. Ferrell, presidential historian and Truman biographer, dies at 97". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  5. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (2018-08-22). "Robert H. Ferrell, Authority on Truman, Is Dead at 97". The New York Times . Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  6. ↑ Savage, Sean J. (Spring 1995). "Book Reviews: Harry S. Truman: A Life by Robert H. Ferrell". Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 93 (2): 244–245. JSTOR   23382654.
  7. ↑ "Best Sellers: Nonfiction". The New York Times. 1983-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  8. ↑ Ferrell, Robert H. (1994). Harry S. Truman: A Life. University of Missouri Press. ISBN   978-0-8262-6045-1.
  9. ↑ Truman, Harry S. (2002). Ferrell, Robert H. (ed.). The Autobiography of Harry S. Truman. University of Missouri Press. ISBN   978-0-8262-1445-4.
  10. ↑ Truman, Harry S. (1980). Ferrell, Robert H. (ed.). Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman. Harper & Row. ISBN   978-0-8262-1119-4.
  11. ↑ Buhite, Russell D. (Winter 1994). "Review: Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944". Georgia Historical Quarterly. 78 (4): 881–882. JSTOR   40583831.
  12. 1 2 Kirkendall, Richard S. (1995). "Choosing Truman: the Democratic Convention of 1944". The Annals of Iowa . 54 (1): 66–67. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.9884 . JSTOR   40584040.
  13. ↑ Devine, Thomas W. (2013). Henry Wallace's 1948 Presidential Campaign and the Future of Postwar Liberalism. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   978-1469602035.
  14. ↑ Hamby, Alonzo L. (December 1994). "Review: Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944". Indiana Magazine of History . 90 (4): 377–378. JSTOR   27791788.
  15. ↑ Maney, Patrick J. (August 1995). "Review: Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944". Journal of Southern History . 61 (3): 636–637. doi:10.2307/2211930. JSTOR   2211930.
  16. ↑ Polsby, Nelson W. (Fall 1994). "Review: Choosing Truman: The Democratic Convention of 1944". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 24 (4): 879–880. JSTOR   27551335.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.