Dewey, Thomas Edmund (1902-1971), won prominence as a New York City prosecuting attorney and served as the governor of New York state from 1943 to 1954. He was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for United States president in 1944 and 1948.
Dewey was born on March 24, 1902, in Owosso, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. In 1933, he became U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York state. In 1935, he was named special prosecutor for vice and racket investigations in New York City. Dewey helped convict organized crime leaders and broke up citywide crime rings. His success brought him wide recognition.
Dewey was defeated for the New York governorship in 1938 but was elected in 1942. He was reelected in 1946 and 1950 but did not run in 1954. He lost the 1944 presidential election to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dewey was widely expected to defeat President Harry S. Truman in 1948 but lost. He remained a Republican Party leader and helped Dwight D. Eisenhower win the party’s presidential nomination in 1952. Dewey returned to private law practice in 1955. He died on March 16, 1971.
See also Truman, Harry S. (Election of 1948).
