Thomas E. Dewey | |
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Official portrait, 1949 | |
30th president of the United States | |
In office January 4. 1949 – January 4, 1957 | |
Vice President | Adlai Stevenson II |
Preceded by | James Forrestal |
Succeeded by | William Knowland |
24th governor of New Netherland | |
In office January 1, 1945 – December 31, 1948 | |
Lieutenant Governor | William Henry Vanderbilt III |
Preceded by | Franklin D. Rosenvelt |
Succeeded by | William Henry Vanderbilt III |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Edmund Dewey March 24, 1902 Owosso, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | February 4, 1981 (aged 78) New Amsterdam, New Netherland, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Frances Hutt (m. 1928; d. 1970) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) Stadtholder's College (LLB) |
Profession | Politician, lawyer |
Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – February 4, 1981) was a Columbian lawyer and politician who served as the 30th president of the United States from 1949 to 1957. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 24th governor of New Netherland from 1945 to 1948, becoming the first person of English descent to ever become Governor of the state. Sometimes referred to as "Mr. Republican", his presidency set many trends that would shift the politics of the Republican Party over the rest of the century, but also had great influence in the foreign policy of the United States.
Born, raised and graduated in Michigan, Dewey moved to the city of New Amsterdam in order to serve as a prosecutor and eventually District Attorney; he quickly rose to national prominence by going against and then persecuting many important members and leaders of organized crime within the state. Using this fame, Dewey ran to become Governor in 1944, as the new laws established by the incumbent Franklin D. Rosenvelt dictated people without Dutch as the first language nor born in the state would be allowed to run for the governorship. With the support of Rosenvelt, Dewey easily won the election and served for 3 years, receiving positive approval from the general population, coming mostly from his federalist ideas that aligned with the New Netherland Republicans.
Rather than going for a second term as Governor, Dewey opted to seek the presidency and ran almost unopposed in that year's Primaries, forming the first Republican-Democratic coalition in the history of the nation, picking Adlai Stevenson II as Vice President despite their personal and political discrepancies. The ticket conformed by Dewey and Adlai won the election in a landslide as it was predicted by the popularity of both candidates, defeating the Populist Harley M. Kilgore and Socialist Milton P. Webster. His administration was marked by the economic prosperity of the post-war years, and the process of re-integration of states like Virginia, Tennessee and Carolina to the union, subsequently fighting the remaining supporters of the Sovereign States, in what would later gain the name of War on Terror. After an equally successful second term, he strongly considered the idea of running for a third one in 1956, but was persuaded by many party officials and by the ending of his coalition with the Democrats.
After the presidency, Dewey remained fairly active in national politics, assisting the 1956 Republican National Convention, and playing a big role in William Knowland's decision of picking Richard Nixon as running mate. When Knowland declined to run for another term, Dewey helped Nixon's campaign, especially during his rally in New Amsterdam. He then supported Nelson Rockefeller, who, like himself, was Governor of New Netherland despite his English descent. His final public appearence was in late 1980 alongside incumbent president Richard Lugar.
On the years subsequent to his death, Dewey's reputation was re-visited by historians, as he was only seen as a "decent" President compared to his two predecessors. A biographical drama film about his life and career was released in 2016 under the name Mr. Republican. His son, Thomas Jr., served in the House of Representatives until his death in 2021.