A Minnesota Footnote to the 1944 Presidential Election / Barbara

0 A MmNESOm FOOTNOTE TOIHEIMI PRESIDIENTIAL EUEGTION 1 TT most notable event in what proved to be a losing cam Ij OR A SMALL STATE Minnesota has enjoyed paign against popular GOP incumbent Ronald W] unusual prominence in presidential politics of Reagan.' 11 the 20th century. Some cases in point: In the These are, of course, some of the more dramatic turbulent year of 1968 when Vietnam was the focus of Minnesota influences involving the presidency of the political debate, Minnesota Senator Eugene J. Mc United States. There are others, less sweeping in their Carthy, a Democrat, challenged the policy and leader effect, but nonetheless of some interest in completing ship of his own party's incumbent president. Mc the record of Minnesota's mark on the course of Ameri Carthy's win in the New Hampshire primary laid to can presidential politics. This is one such tale. rest the re-election hopes of Lyndon B. Johnson, whose withdrawal from the race opened the door for a contest IN THE SUMMER of 1944 the nations of Europe had between two long-time political cohorts—Senator Mc been at war for five years, the United States and Japan Carthy and Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey. for nearly three. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Thomas E. Humphrey beat out McCarthy for the Democratic par Dewey were nominated by the Democratic and Repub ty's nomination but lost the election. Two decades be lican parties as contenders for the presidency. Wendell fore, in 1948, another Minnesota political legend was L. Wdlkie, the unsuccessful GOP choice in 1940, bad launched when former governor, Harold E. Stassen, hoped for a second chance but was rejected by bis party made his first of many unsuccessful bids to be the as too liberal. Roosevelt's fourth-term nomination was standard-bearer for the Republican party. For over 40 less controversial than his precedent-breaking third. years, he has pursued the presidency as an independent The real contention was over the vice-presidency. A political entrepreneur. More recently—in 1980—an very reluctant nominee. Senator Harry S Truman of other vice-president from Minnesota won the Demo cratic endorsement. Walter F. Mondale's selection of Geraldine Ferraro as the first woman vice-presidential ' In the last 88 years, Minnesota has proved to be biparti candidate on a major political ticket was perhaps the san in its presidential choices (voting Republican in 10 elec tions. Democratic in 12, and for Progressive candidate Theo dore Roosevelt in 1912). The state was on the winning side in Barbara Stuhler, whose articles have appeared before in Min all but four of those elections; on one occasion (1984), it went nesota History, is executive associate dean of continuing edu against the national grain when it was the only state (joined cation and extension at the University of Minnesota. For 15 by the District of Columbia) to vote for native son Mondale. years she broadcast a weekly progran of public affairs com See Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United mentary over KUOM, and she is the author of two books States, 1989. 241 and Minnesota Legislative Manual, published by the Minnesota Historical Society. 1987-88, 309-310. iAMBAM STUHIJER Fala and his master, driving on the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park, New York, October, 1944 Missouri, who was the last-minute choice of movers sailors began snipping off bits of his wirey coat to send and shakers in the convention's proverbial smoke-filled home as mementos. Fala was simultaneously gaining back room, won over the unpopular incumbent, Henry weight and losing hair. Orders went out that Fala's new A. Wallace.- friends should confine their activities to those with less Roosevelt gave his acceptance speech to the Chicago dire consequences than feeding and shearing." convention by radio from San Diego on the eve of his Once in Hawau, the president met with Admiral departure for Hawaii and Alaska. Now that the war in Chester W. Nimitz, General Douglas A. MacArthur, Europe seemed to be going the allied way against Ger Admiral Wdliam D. Leahy, and other top mditary many, it was time to give more attention to a Pacific leaders concerning next steps in the Pacific. He then set strategy. In the president's entourage was his dog, Fala, sad for Alaska. On his return, he gave a speech at the a Scotch terrier, who—thanks to a Minnesota congress Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, to man—was to become a legend in his own time. The four-year-old "Murray of Falahill" had been acquired as a young puppy a month after the 1940 Willkie died on October 4, 1944, before the election. James MaeGregor Burns, Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom election. Eleanor Roosevelt remembered that "No dog 1940-1945 (New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1970), was completely happy in the White House until Fala 503-507. came, and he became a really satisfactory part of " Fala was born in kennels owned by Roosevelt's distant Franklin"s life." The noted journalist, Joseph Alsop, cousin, Margaret Suckley, and was a gift from her to him. noted that "Fala and FDR were inseparable.' So Fala Eleanor Roosevelt, This 1 Remember (New York: Harper, was on board the cruiser, Baltimore, and quickly found 1949), 119; Joseph Alsop, FDR, 1882-1945: A Centenary Re happiness with crew members who fed and pampered membrance (New York: Viking Press, 1982), 219; Samuel Ro- senman. Working with Roosevelt (New York: Harper, 1952), him. But that association was put in jeopardy after the 28 Minnesota History report on his 21-day trip. The speech turned out to be a tradition of bis constituency, his first vote in Congress near disaster. None of bis regular speech writers such as was against President Woodrow Wilson's request for a Samuel Rosenman, who had already returned to Wash declaration of war against Germany—one of 50 con ington from Hawaii, had been present to help. For the gressmen so voting, four of them from Minnesota. first time in many months, he wore his leg braces but Throughout the long period of his congressional ser because he had recently lost weight, they no longer fit vice, Knutson remained true, with only occasional de him well. He was in pain, the place where he stood was viations, to his isolationist precepts." not level, the blowing wind made it difficult for him to Harold Knutson kept his political fences well hold and turn the pages—all these factors increased his tended, did favors for his constituents, remembered sense of insecurity and contributed to the public's per names, and was friendly and informal. Business Week ception of FDR's growing ineffectiveness. The result reported that he had "a grip on his district that other was the spread of a gossipy prediction that Dewey legislators regard with awe and envy." Apparently the would make mincemeat of the president as the cam representative from the sixth district was content with paign got underway in earnest.' that; he exerted no special leadership and his rare ven Candidate Dewey's first campaign swing around ture into other activities such as serving as a vice-chair the country after Labor Day played to mixed reviews. man of the National Committee to Keep America Out Determined to take the high road of political rhetoric, of War prompted The Nation to place him first on its Dewey failed to inspire either his supporters or per list of "Worst Congressmen" in 1942.' suade the undecided. But he did have some success, On August 31, 1944, Democratic Congressman Mi reducing the margin of Roosevelt's lead from nine to chael J. Bradley of Pennsylvania had risen on the floor five points." of the House of Representatives to take issue with a Meanwhile, the Democrats were nervously consid recent article by Representative Clare Booth Luce. ering whether their candidate could recoup his losses. Bradley was outraged at Luce's charge that the presi In August, he had announced that he would address dent was callous with regard to the welfare of men the International Teamsters Union at Washington's Statler Hotel on September 23. In the aftermath of the Bremerton speech fiasco, it was with some trepidation that party stalwarts anticipated the event. But they Congressman Harold Knutson, about 1946 need not have worried—the old master had found fod der for his speech in the remarks of a veteran congress man from Minnesota. HAROLD KNUTSON had succeeded Charles A. Lind bergh as the representative from the sixth district in Minnesota in 1917, and he would serve 31 consecutive years until he went down to electoral defeat in 1948. Born in Norway, he migrated to the United States when he was ten years old and was raised on a dairy farm in Sherburne County. After high school and some agricul tural studies, he started as a printer's apprentice, rising through the newspaper ranks to positions of editor, publisher, and owner. In keeping with the isolationist ' Rosenman, Working with Roosevelt, 461-462. Burns, Soldier of Freedom, 508, states that in addition to the pain of standing in ill-fitting braces, Roosevelt had an attack of an gina pectoris during the first 15 minutes of his speech. "' A Fortune magazine poll quoted in Richard Norton Smith, Thomas E. Dewey and His Times (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982), 420. ^ The other three were Republicans Charles R. Davis of the third district, Ernest Lundeen of the fifth, and Democrat Carl C. Van Dyke of the fourth. Barbara Stuhler, Ten Men of Minnesota and American Foreign Policy 18984968 (St.

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