FDR, Dewey, and the Election of 1944

David M. Jordan is author of Roscoe Conkling of New York: Voice in the Senate; Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life (IUP, 1988); "Happiness Is Not My Companion": The Life of General G. K. Warren (IUP, 2001); and Occasional Glory: A History of the Philadelphia Phillies.

"David M. Jordan tells the story of the 1944 presidential election, and he tells it very well. In a clearly written, well-researched narrative he describes the various contenders for the Republican nomination, which eventually went to Thomas E. Dewey."—Journal of American History"This book alone proves Jordan has what it takes to allow the reader to check out of present day and visit a time period like no other in history. I commend him for that because he allowed me to do so."—thepoliticsofjamiesanderson.blogspot"[Jordan's] writing style is superb. He has a sense of narrative cadence and a dramatic rhythm reminiscent of an earlier chronicler of presidential campaigns, Theodore White. . . . Jordan exudes a gift for characterization and an eye for a quotation."—Intl Social Science Review"Jordan provides a detailed account of the 'infighting and horse-trading' of this hard-fought, wartime campaign."—Survival"This is a fun volume on an often overlooked presidential contest. . . . This book is worth it for the political junkie who wants to check the 1944 election off their list."—Karl Rove"[T]his book is informative, interesting (especially for the political history geek) and suspenseful in spite of the fact that we all know how the story is going to end."—bookish.livejournal.com"A fast-moving, blow-by-blow account of the often neglected wartime campaign that pitted Franklin Delano Roosevelt against Republican Thomas E. Dewey, with pollsters divided to the very end. For political junkies there is suspense, backroom dealing, and surprises about both presidential and vice-presidential nominations, as well as where the parties would stand on the future both at home and abroad. And while today we worry about partisan extremism, in 1944 a sitting commander-in-chief and his administration were accused not only of domestic corruption but of military blunders that cost American lives, all while leading the country toward communism or monarchy."—Roger Lane, author of Murder in America: A History"All presidential elections are important—and interesting. The 1944 election is no exception. It's a good story and Jordan tells it well."—Gary Donaldson, author of Truman Defeats Dewey"David Jordan has produced a lucid, highly engrossing account of a fateful but little chronicled episode in American presidential politics. His narrative of the 1944 election campaign—written with savvy and encyclopedic range and featuring a large cast of personalities rendered in deft cameos—deserves a place alongside Theodore White's histories of how high and low character, fierce ambition, and dumb luck play their part in the nation's choice of its chief executive."—Richard Kluger, Pulitzer Prize-winning social historian

• Preface and AcknowledgmentsPrologue: An Evening at the Statler1. A Nation at War2. Politics in Midwar3. The Republicans4. The Democrats5. Willkie Pushes Hard6. President and Congress7. Wendell in Wonderland8. The Bandwagon Rolling9. It Looks Like Dewey10. The Republican Convention11. Meanwhile, the Democrats12. The Ailing President13. Will Roosevelt Run?14. Who Runs with Roosevelt?15. The Democrats Arrive in Chicago16. Democrats in Convention17. Campaign on the High Seas18. The Republicans Go to Work19. Dewey Heads West20. The Battle Is On21. The October Campaign Kicks In22. Death in October23. Dewey on the Offensive24. FDR Strikes Back25. Down to the Wire26. Bricker's Campaign27. The Man from Missouri28. The Last Days29. Election Day30. Summing UpEpilogue: The Fourth TermNotesBibliographyIndex