| James Forrestal | |
|---|---|
| |
| Forrestal in 1944 | |
| 29th president of the United States | |
| In office January 4, 1945 – January 4, 1949 | |
| Vice President | Mackenzie King |
| Preceded by | Alf Landon |
| Succeeded by | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Vincent Forrestal February 15, 1892 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 1977 (aged 85) Springfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Josephine Ogden Stovall (m. 1926) |
| Children | 2 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1913-1940 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Third Great War |
James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – June 17, 1977) was a Columbian politician, financier and lieutenant of the U.S. Navy who served as the 29th president of the United States from 1945 to 1949.
Born in the state of Pennsylvania, Forrestal was of a Catholic family descended from Irish immigrants that had once lived in the Columbian south shortly before the secession of the Grand Confederation. Forrestal served in the Navy during the Third Great War, gaining national fame for his accomplishments in the Atlantic front and the Gulf of Ophir. Following the defeat of Al Smith in 1928, the Democratic Party lost control of the Executive Mansion for over 15 years, motivating Democratic officials at the 1944 convention to draft Forrestal to seek the nomination, succeeding in the process and getting him to actively run. The popular leadership of Populist Alf Landon made the task of winning the election seem difficult, but the ending of the party's coalition with the Republicans would help Forrestal rise in the polls for his military background. Despite the ongoing Fourth Great War and the push for Alf Landon to seek another term, the capitulation of the Sovereign States and the death of Vice President George W. Norris prevented him from doing so, instead endorsing Henry A. Wallace from Iowa, who was not very popular outside his home state. Forrestal won the 1944 election by a nearly twenty-point margin landslide without any type of coalition, only replicated years later by Paul Tsongas. His vice-presidential pick was Assemblyman Mackenzie King, the first Vice President native to the state of Cabotia.
The Forrestal administration mostly focused on re-constructing the nation after both the Sovereign States and Alaska had surrendered and seeded some territories, resulting in the re-integration of Virginia and Tennessee into the union, but also granting statehood to Yermakia. After four years of a moderately popular presidential term, the support for Forrestal within the Democratic establishment had faded away, which instead opted to form a coalition with the Republicans with Adlai Stevenson II as the vice-presidential nominee, which was supported by Forrestal. He would retire to the city of Springfield, Ohio until his passing in 1967, with his son Michael eventually representing the state in the House of Representatives. Historians have placed Forrestal near the middle of U.S. presidents in rankings. While praised for his foreign policy, he has been criticized for his lack of commitment to the liberalism championed by his base, which did not see a resurgence again until the 1970s.