The story
On November 7, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a fourth term, defeating Republican Thomas E. Dewey, the governor of New York. Roosevelt took 432 electoral votes and 53.4 percent of the popular vote to Dewey's 99 and 45.9 percent. It was the first presidential election held during a major war since 1864, and millions of service members voted by absentee ballot.
Allied armies had landed in Normandy in June and were pushing toward Germany, while American forces advanced across the Pacific. Voters were reluctant to change leaders mid-war, and Democrats argued against 'changing horses in midstream.' Behind the scenes, party leaders worried about Roosevelt's health and replaced Vice President Henry Wallace with Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri. That choice mattered enormously: Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, less than three months into the new term, and Truman became president.
Why it mattered
- Truman, chosen as running mate in 1944, became president on Roosevelt's death and made the decision to use the atomic bomb.
- Roosevelt's fourth term covered the Yalta Conference and the founding of the United Nations.
- Four Roosevelt victories led Congress to propose the two-term limit in 1947.
Sources
- 1944 Electoral College Results National Archives
- Constitutional Amendments Series: Amendment XXII, Term Limits for the Presidency National Archives (Reagan Library)
- Book excerpt: Countdown 1945 CBS News
Drafted by AI (Claude) from the sources above and checked against them by AI; no historian has reviewed this page. Spot a mistake? Suggest a correction. How pages are made
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