Why did dewey lose to truman

The surprise victory of the plain-spoken Democratic nominee, Harry S Truman , would become one of the biggest upsets in U. Dewey made his name throughout the s by prosecuting dozens of big-name mobsters , including Lucky Luciano and Waxey Gordon.

His record helped in his election to governor of New York in In , the Republicans again chose Dewey as their presidential nominee, with Governor Earl Warren of California as his running mate. The plain-spoken Truman, a U. But in the elections, Truman faced significant political head winds. Rising inflation and labor unrest had contributed to the Democrats losing control of both chambers of Congress in for the first time in 14 years. His civil rights initiatives had alienated the conservative, Southern wing of the organization.

Truman was even facing competition from within his own cabinet. Truman went on to take Illinois and much of the Midwest in this whopping election surprise. The headline might well have been quickly forgotten but for a chance encounter two days later in St.

Truman, traveling by rail to Washington, stepped to the rear platform of the train and was handed a copy of the Tribune early edition. He had as low an opinion of the Tribune as it did of him. Truman held the paper up, and photographers preserved the moment for history.

Dewey, the Missourian was thought to have little chance of remaining in the White House. But politics in the postwar years were changing dramatically.

Truman and his advisers successfully read those changes: their strategy focused on building a coalition of organized labor, African Americans in large northern cities, and traditional liberals--and ignoring protests from the conservative South. Donaldson argues that Dewey did nearly as much to lose the election as Truman did to win it. Dewey entered the campaign so overconfident that he refused to confront Truman on the issues.

The Republicans, certain of a mandate from the public after the midterm elections of , prepared to disassemble the New Deal. Yet they suffered from even more severe internal division than the Democrats.

The presidential campaign was a watershed event in the history of American politics. It was the first election after Roosevelt's death and the last before the advent of television. It marked the new political prominence of African American voters and organized labor, as well as the South's declining influence over the Democratic Party.

Lawrence, ends in the acquittal of Penguin Books. Gwendolyn Graham is sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for killing five elderly female residents of the Alpine Manor Nursing Home near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers.

The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam, but also lead to This was the first Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Space Exploration.