This Day in History: Dewey Defeats Truman | November 2, 2023
THIS DAY IN HISTORY – 75th Anniversary
THE 1948 ELECTION AND THE BATTLE FOR AMERICA’S SOUL
FEATURING A.J. BAIME
On the 75th anniversary of the 1948 election, join us online for a rollicking rundown of Truman’s come-from-behind victory over Republican challenger Thomas Dewey to win his first full term in office.
ON NOVEMBER 2, 1948, a politically divided nation went to the polls to elect a president, but the outcome was all but certain: Thomas Dewey was going to trounce Harry Truman.
Now, on the 75th anniversary of that great upset, New York Times best-selling author A.J. Baime joins us for a livestream event focused on one of the greatest election stories of all times.
On the eve of the 1948 election, America was a fractured country. Racism was rampant, foreign relations were fraught, and political parties were more divided than ever. Americans were certain that President Harry S. Truman’s political career was over. “The ballots haven’t been counted,” noted political columnist Fred Othman, “but there seems to be no further need for holding up an affectional farewell to Harry Truman.” Truman’s own staff did not believe he could win. Nor did his wife, Bess. The only man in the world confident that Truman would win was Mr. Truman himself. And win he did.
1948 was a fight for the soul of a nation. Drawing on his thrilling account, Dewey Defeats Truman, A.J. Baime sheds light on one of the most action-packed six months in American history. Truman more than triumphs; he oversees watershed events—the passing of the Marshall Plan, the acknowledgement of Israel as a new state, the careful attention to the origins of the Cold War, and the desegregation of the military.
Not only did Truman win the election, he succeeded in guiding his country forward at a critical time with high stakes and haunting parallels to the modern day.
WATCH VIDEO
THIS DAY IN HISTORY — MORE TO EXPLORE
CURATED CAMPAIGN CONTENT
FAVORITE ARTIFACT
Dewey Vs. Truman
Executive Director Alex Burden shares his favorite campaign-related artifact, what it meant in 1948, and what it means to him today.
(2 minute read)
INSIDE THE MUSEUM
Upset of the Century
Step into the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum with Cassie Pikarsky, director of strategic initiatives, for a fast-paced tour of the Whistle Stop Gallery. All aboard!
Watch the Video
(2 minute watch)
FIRST FAMILY STORIES
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“The first story my mother told me about the 1948 presidential campaign had nothing to do with tactics, crowds, or the upset victory…”
Continue Reading
(4 minute read)
TRUMAN TRIVIA
The 1948 Election
Can you outwit Harold Ivan Smith, author of Almost Everything Worth Knowing about Harry S. Truman? These 10 trivia questions will test your knowledge of the historic 1948 presidential election.
Take the Quiz
(3 minute read)
WHISTLE STOP
Making History in Harlem
In the final days before the 1948 presidential election, Truman made a campaign appearance in Harlem, marking the first time a U.S. president had visited the symbolic capital of Black America.
Read the President’s Address
(5 minute read)
THIS DAY IN HISTORY — DIGITAL ARCHIVE
CAMPAIGN CLIMAX
PHOTO ARCHIVE: On November 2, 1948, radio journalists monitor incoming popular vote ballot totals for the presidential election. Credit: Getty/Bettmann
ON THE EVE of the 1948 election, the polls and pundits were calling the election for the Republican nominee, Thomas Dewey. Harry Truman decided to address the American people one final time.
The President spoke at 9:37 p.m. from his home in Independence, Missouri. He was introduced by his running mate, Senator Alben W. Barkley, who said:
“No man called suddenly to the Presidency of this Nation ever faced a greater task. Whether this task involved our internal economy or the delicate and dangerous course of international relations, it called for the exercise of patience, tolerance, firmness, foresight, and courage. . . .This quiet, modest, patient, courageous, God-fearing, determined man in war and the aftermath of war, at home and abroad, has brought strength to our economy, expansion and permanence to our influence, and hope to hopeless men and women throughout the world.”
Click the icon below to listen to the original sound recording of Truman’s 1948 election-eve appeal to American voters.
Listen to President Truman’s Election-Eve Radio Address
(12 minute listen)
WRITING HIS MEMOIRS, President Truman recalled his November 1 radio address and the tense hours before the polls opened on Election Day:
“This was my final appeal to the voters . . . . I warned the nation that their vote would not be just for one man or another, but would affect every person and family for years to come. With this, I was through. There was nothing to do but wait for the results.”
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS: Click an image above to read President Truman’s handwritten recollections.
PHOTO ARCHIVE: President Truman, holding his ballot, steps out of the voting booth at the Memorial Building, voting place of the 7th Precinct of Blue Township in Independence, Missouri. (TrumanLibrary.gov)
VICTORY AND THE CROW-EATERS
PRESIDENT TRUMAN RECOUNTS the 1948 election, and describes how he spent the night awaiting the results in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. This motion picture clip is from the Truman Library’s Screen Gems Collection, consisting of outtakes created during the production of the film series Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman, which aired on television in 1964 and 1965 and earned the former president the honor of “Outstanding Television Personality of 1964.”
Watch the Motion Picture (1.5 min.)
WELCOME HOME
From the Crow-Eaters
When President Truman returned to Washington, D.C. he drove past the Wall Street Journal. A sign declared: “Welcome Home from the Crow-Eaters.” Truman told his Secret Service team: “Take that down; I don’t want anyone to eat crow!”
AMERICA’S JUST WILD
About Harry
In a photograph that is reminiscent of the 1945 image of Harry Truman and Lauren Bacall, an unidentified woman at the election victory celebration, hopped atop a piano to share her joy at the election’s outcome.
“THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED FOR THIS CELEBRATION, WHICH IS NOT FOR ME. IT IS FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY. IT IS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.”
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First Family Stories: Truman Defeats Dewey | November 1, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“Truman Defeats Dewey”
THE FIRST STORY my mother told me about the 1948 presidential campaign had nothing to do with tactics, crowds, or the upset victory.
The Ferdinand Magellan presidential railcar was outfitted with a speedometer connected to the engine, so folks in back could see how fast they were going. Mom and Grandpa were in the lounge one afternoon, reading, when Mom noticed Grandpa glancing up repeatedly at the speedometer, which was climbing. 80. 82. 85 . . . Finally, he said to an aide, “Tell the engineer to slow down.”
Museum Moment: 1948 Campaign ARTifact | October 31, 2023
Alex Burden, executive director of the Truman Library Institute, shares his favorite piece of art on display at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.
Truman and the Birth of Israel | May 14, 2023
On May 11, 2023, The Honorable Michael Herzog, Israel ambassador to the U.S., visited the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Truman’s politically courageous decision to recognize the nascent state of Israel. A transcript of his remarks follows. Watch the recorded program, in its entirety, on YouTube. Read More
Wild About Harry Raises More than $1 Million for President Truman’s “Classroom for Democracy” | April 21, 2023
Pictured: Executive Director Alex Burden, Event Chairs Leigh and Tyler Nottberg, Honorary Chairs Ursula Terrasi and Jim Miller
The 24th annual benefit for Harry S. Truman’s presidential library and legacy made history as it smashed all former attendance and fundraising records. In an effort that rivaled the enthusiasm, passion and energy of Truman’s 1948 Whistle Stop Campaign, WILD ABOUT HARRY raised more than $1 MILLION for civics and history programs at the Truman Library. The April 20 event at Kansas City’s historic Muehlebach Hotel – President Truman’s hometown political HQ – attracted nearly 1,000 attendees, as well as the single largest gift in the event’s history, generously donated by 2023 WILD ABOUT HARRY title sponsor, CPKC.
If you have not yet made a gift in support of this important cause, it’s not too late to add your name to the donor honor roll, which will be published in the next issue of TRU Magazine.
First Family Stories: Babysitter in Chief | March 31, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“First Family Stories” is a serial memoir exploring the history, humanity and humor of being part of one of America’s First Families. Clifton Truman Daniel is the eldest grandson of Bess and Harry Truman.
Black History Month in the Museum Store | February 28, 2023
BECAUSE A MONTH JUST ISN’T ENOUGH
February 2023 is both Black History Month and National Library Lovers Month!
Stop by the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum to pick up these must-have and award-winning histories, as well as unique gifts, presidential apparel and more. Open during Museum hours, there is no admission charge to browse the beautiful Buck Stops Here Shop. Members save 10% on all purchases; to receive your member discount for online purchases, please order by phone at 816.268.8267.
First Family Stories: The Politics of Hair | February 13, 2023
First Family Stories
By Clifton Truman Daniel
“First Family Stories” is a serial memoir exploring the history, humanity and humor of being part of one of America’s First Families. Clifton Truman Daniel is the eldest grandson of Bess and Harry Truman.
This Day In History | February 2, 2023
February 2, 1948 | Special Message to Congress on Civil Rights
On February 2, 1948, Harry S. Truman delivered a “Special Message to Congress on Civil Rights.” In the 3,095-word address, President Truman called for anti-lynching legislation, fair housing oversight, greater protection of the right to vote, an end to discrimination in the federal workforce, and the abolition of Jim Crow practices in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Truman’s Civil Rights Message to Congress | February 2, 2023
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Truman’s Civil Rights Message to Congress
February 2, 1948
“WE KNOW THE WAY.
WE NEED ONLY THE WILL.”
ON FEBRUARY 2, 1948, Harry S. Truman delivered a “Special Message to Congress on Civil Rights.”
In the 3,095-word address, President Truman called for anti-lynching legislation, fair housing oversight, greater protection of the right to vote, an end to discrimination in the federal workforce, and the abolition of Jim Crow practices in the U.S. Armed Forces. Read More
