Wendell Willkie died in 1944 and he and his VP running mate are the only ticket to both die in the term they were running for. To quote his Wikipedia page "Although defeated in the election, Willkie had become a major figure on the public scene, and at age 48, was deemed likely to remain one for years to come". Roosevelt sounded him out as potential VP or to be Secretary General of the UN. Let's say he reaches the OTL Ford era, a man who worked on his campaign, what do you see him doing with new lease on life?
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WI: Wendell Willkie Lives
- Thread starter Milo
- Start date
Willkie probably wouldn't have much success in attempting another run for president. He didn't have much support within the Republican Party and also had major cardiac problems. Paul Dudley White helped encourage President Eisenhower and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson to stay in office, but that wasn't the typical advice given to cardiac patients even in the 1950s.
Wendell Willkie died in 1944 and he and his VP running mate are the only ticket to both die in the term they were running for. To quote his Wikipedia page "Although defeated in the election, Willkie had become a major figure on the public scene, and at age 48, was deemed likely to remain one for years to come". Roosevelt sounded him out as potential VP or to be Secretary General of the UN. Let's say he reaches the OTL Ford era, a man who worked on his campaign, what do you see him doing with new lease on life?
The New York Liberal Party wanted to run him as their mayoral candidate in 1945
On another note, it's surprising to see how little experience many of the presidential candidates had around that time. The vice presidential candidates usually had much more experience in elected office as either governors or members of Congress, but the presidential candidates seem to have been rather lacking.
Alf Landon hadn't even completed his term as Governor of Kansas when he ran for President in 1936. That's comparable to the later experience of Adlai Stevenson, who also hadn't completed his term as Governor of Illinois when he ran for President in 1952.
Willkie never held political office in his entire life and wasn't even a corporate executive, he was just a lawyer who represented an electric company and literally joined the Republican Party the same year he became the Republican nominee for President. Dewey spent four years as Manhattan District Attorney and hadn't even finished two years as Governor of New York when he made his first run for President in 1944. Dewey was even in contention for the 1940 Republican nomination, at which point he hadn't finished three years as District Attorney.
There also wasn't much in terms of working up the political ladder. Alf Landon was the Chair of the Republican Party of Kansas before becoming Governor. Dewey and Stevenson went straight into being District Attorney and Governor, respectively.
Herbert Hoover might have never held elected office before running for President in 1928, but he had spent almost fourteen years in public life before that point. That's more experience than most of the presidential candidates between the 1930s and 1950s accumulated in their entire lives.
Alf Landon hadn't even completed his term as Governor of Kansas when he ran for President in 1936. That's comparable to the later experience of Adlai Stevenson, who also hadn't completed his term as Governor of Illinois when he ran for President in 1952.
Willkie never held political office in his entire life and wasn't even a corporate executive, he was just a lawyer who represented an electric company and literally joined the Republican Party the same year he became the Republican nominee for President. Dewey spent four years as Manhattan District Attorney and hadn't even finished two years as Governor of New York when he made his first run for President in 1944. Dewey was even in contention for the 1940 Republican nomination, at which point he hadn't finished three years as District Attorney.
There also wasn't much in terms of working up the political ladder. Alf Landon was the Chair of the Republican Party of Kansas before becoming Governor. Dewey and Stevenson went straight into being District Attorney and Governor, respectively.
Herbert Hoover might have never held elected office before running for President in 1928, but he had spent almost fourteen years in public life before that point. That's more experience than most of the presidential candidates between the 1930s and 1950s accumulated in their entire lives.
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