Dewey defeats Truman - Chicago Tribune Dewey defeats Truman November 3, 1948 UPI/Corbis-Bettmann President Harry S. Truman holds up a copy of the Tribune after his presidential election, arguably one of the most famous headline mistakes. President Harry S. Truman holds up a copy of the Tribune after his presidential election, arguably one of the most famous headline mistakes. (UPI/Corbis-Bettmann) Tim JonesTribune staff reporter As a presidential candidate, Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York was not a glad-hander, not a flesh-presser. He was stiff and tended toward pomposity. "The only man who could strut sitting down" was the crack that made the rounds. But on Nov. 2, Election Day , an overwhelming sense of inevitability hung about the Republican nominee. The polls and the pundits left no room for doubt: Dewey was going to defeat President Harry S. Truman . And the Tribune would be the first to report it. Arguably the most famous headline in the newspaper's 150-year history, DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN is every publisher's nightmare on every election night.

Like most newspapers, the Tribune, which had dismissed him on its editorial page as a "nincompoop," was lulled into a false sense of security by polls that repeatedly predicted a Dewey victory. Critically important, though, was a printers' strike, which forced the paper to go to press hours before it normally would.As the first-edition deadline approached, managing editor J. Loy "Pat" Maloney had to make the headline call, although many East Coast tallies were not yet in. Maloney banked on the track record of Arthur Sears Henning, the paper's longtime Washington correspondent. Henning said Dewey. Henning was rarely wrong. Besides, Life magazine had just carried a big photo of Dewey with the caption "The next President of the United States." The ink was hardly dry on 150,000 copies of the paper when radio bulletins reported that the race was surprisingly close. The headline was changed to DEMOCRATS MAKE SWEEP OF STATE OFFICES for the second edition. Truman went on to take Illinois and much of the Midwest in this whopping election surprise.

Radio comedian Fred Allen noted Truman was the "first president to lose in a Gallup and win in a walk." The Tribune blamed the pollsters for its mistake. The headline might well have been quickly forgotten but for a chance encounter two days later in St. Louis. Truman, traveling by rail to Washington, stepped to the rear platform of the train and was handed a copy of the Tribune early edition. He had as low an opinion of the Tribune as it did of him. Truman held the paper up, and photographers preserved the moment for history. The Truman-Dewey Election, 65 Years Ago - History in the Headlines The Truman-Dewey Election, 65 Years Ago November 1, 2013 By Elizabeth Nix President Harry Truman holds up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune declaring his defeat to Thomas Dewey. Share this: The Truman-Dewey Election, 65 Years Ago Author The Truman-Dewey Election, 65 Years Ago URL Google On November 3, 1948, the day after the U.S.

presidential election, the front-page headline of the Chicago Tribune proclaimed: “Dewey Defeats Truman.” In fact, the newspaper got the story all wrong, because President Harry Truman ended up scoring a surprise victory over his opponent, Governor Thomas Dewey of New York. Now, on the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest upsets in American political history, find out how Truman managed to win the election that no one--except for Truman himself--thought he could pull off. Heading into Election Day on November 2, 1948, numerous polls and pundits predicted Thomas Dewey (1902-71) was a shoo-in for the presidency. A Michigan native and attorney who gained prominence in the 1930s by prosecuting such mobsters as Lucky Luciano, Dewey had served as the 47th governor of New York since 1943. In 1944, he won the Republican nomination for the White House but lost the general election to President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1948, the Republicans again chose Dewey as their presidential nominee, with Governor Earl Warren of California as his vice-presidential running mate.

The Democratic nominee, Harry Truman (1884-1972), had ascended to the presidency following Franklin Roosevelt’s sudden death on April 12, 1945, just three months after he’d been sworn in for an unprecedented fourth term. The plain-spoken Truman, a U.S. senator from Missouri before his brief vice-presidency, went on to lead the United States through the end of World War II and the transition to a peacetime economy. However, in 1946, Truman’s political reputation was damaged when issues such as rising inflation and labor unrest contributed to the Democrats losing control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in 14 years. Further diminishing Truman’s prospects as the 1948 election approached were divisions within his own political party. His civil rights initiatives had alienated the conservative, Southern wing of the organization, whose members left to form the States’ Rights Democratic Party (or Dixiecrats) and select Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as their presidential nominee.

Additionally, Truman’s onetime secretary of commerce (as well as Roosevelt’s vice president from 1941-45), Henry Wallace, who had a following among liberals, decided to run against his former boss as the Progressive Party’s candidate for the Oval Office. With victory looking like a foregone conclusion for Dewey, the New York governor ran an uninspiring, risk-averse campaign. One newspaper contended his four major speeches could be reduced to four sentences: “Agriculture is important. Our rivers are full of fish. You cannot have freedom without liberty. The future lies ahead.” Meanwhile, Truman employed an aggressive, populist campaign style. The president embarked on a “whistle-stop” tour, traveling across America by train and giving numerous speeches in which he spoke out against the “do-nothing” Republican-controlled 80th Congress. “Give ‘em hell, Harry” became a popular slogan among his supporters. On Election Day, thanks to a coalition of voters that included organized labor, farmers, African Americans and Jews, Truman and his running mate, Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky, pulled off what became known as one of the biggest upsets in U.S.

political history, racking up 303 electoral votes and 49.6 percent of the popular vote to Dewey’s 189 electoral votes and 45.1 percent of the popular vote. Thurmond, the Dixiecrat, earned 39 electoral votes and 2.4 percent of the popular vote. A now-famous photograph taken two days after the president’s come-from-behind triumph shows him smiling and holding a copy of the November 3, 1948, edition of the Chicago Tribune featuring the erroneous banner headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.” On Election Day, the newspaper had been required to go to press earlier than usual due to a printers’ strike, and even though not all the votes had been tallied at the time of the Tribune’s deadline, its editors were confident in the multiple polls widely favoring Dewey to win, and therefore reported he had done just that. (The Tribune wasn’t the only one to mistakenly call the election for the New York governor; in covering the returns, a leading radio announcer, H.V.

Kaltenborn, informed his listeners that even though Truman was ahead Dewey ultimately would wind up on top.) On January 29, 1949, in America’s first nationally televised inauguration, Truman was sworn in to his first full term as America’s 33rd president. Four years later, he left the White House (he had been eligible to seek another term but announced in 1952 he would not do so) and retired to his hometown of Independence, Missouri. Meanwhile, Dewey served as governor of New York through 1954 then he returned to practicing law. He died in 1971 at age 68. Truman died the following year at age 88. Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault . Start your free trial today. Tags Truman defeats Dewey - Nov 02, 1948 - HISTORY.com Truman defeats Dewey Publisher A+E Networks In the greatest upset in presidential election history, Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeats his Republican challenger, Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York, by just over two million popular votes.

In the days preceding the vote, political analysts and polls were so behind Dewey that on election night, long before all the votes were counted, the Chicago Tribune published an early edition with the banner headline “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.” Harry Truman was thrust into the presidency by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death in 1945. Approaching the 1948 presidential election, he seemed to stand a slim chance of retaining the White House. Despite his effective leadership at the end of World War II and sound vision in the confused postwar world, many voters still viewed Truman as an ineffectual shadow of his four-term predecessor. He also antagonized Southern Democrats with his civil rights initiatives. Most were sure that Dewey would take the White House. In the last weeks before the election, Truman embarked on a “whistle-stop” campaign across the United States in defiance of his consistently poor showings in the polls. He traveled to America’s cities and towns, fighting to win over undecided voters by portraying himself as an outsider contending with a “do-nothing” Congress.

Truman, a one-time farmer who was elevated to the pinnacle of American politics because of his reputation for honesty and integrity, won the nation’s affection, and he narrowly won a second term. Related Videos The 1948 election: Case Study II Case Study 2: The 1948 Presidential Election Soon after the 1936 fiasco, the Literary Digest went out of the business of polling. In fact, they went out of business altogether. At the same time, the practice of using public opinion polls to measure the pulse of the American electorate was thriving. By 1948 there were several major polls competing for the big prize, that of accurately predicting the outcome of presidential elections. The best known was the Gallup poll, and its two main competitors were the Roper poll and the Crossley poll. By this time, all major polls were using what was belived to be a much more scientific method for choosing their samples called quota sampling. Quota sampling had been introduced by George Gallup as early as 1935 and had been successfully used by him to predict the winner of the 1936,1940 and 1944 elections.

Quota sampling is nothing more than a systematic effort to force the sample to fit a certain national profile by using quotas: The sample should have so many women, so many men, so many blacks, so many whites, so many under 40, so many over 40 etc. The numbers in each category are taken to represent the same proportions in the sample as are in the electorate at large. If we assume that every important characteristic of the population is taken into account when setting up the quotas, it is reasonable to expect that quota sampling will produce a good cross-section of the population and therefore lead to accurate predictions. For the 1948 election between Thomas Dewey and Harry Truman, Gallup conducted a poll with a sample size of about 3250. Each individual in the sample was inteviewed in person by a professional interviewer to minimize nonresponse bias, and each interviewer was given a very detailed set of quotas to meet. For example, an interviewer could have been given the following quotas: seven white males under 40 living in a rural area, five black males under 40 living in a rural area, six black females under 40 living in a rural area, etc.

Other than meeting these quotas the ultimate choice of who was interviewed was left to each interviewer. Based on the results of this poll, Gallup predicted a victory for Dewey, the Republican candidate. The predicted breakdown of the vote was 50% for Dewey, 44% for Truman, and 6% for third-party candidates Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace. The actual results of the election turned out to be almost exactly reversed: 50% for Truman, 45% for Dewey, and 5% for third-party candidates. Truman's victory was a great surprise to the nation as a whole. So convinced was the Chicago Tribune of Dewey's victory that it went to press on its early edition for November 4, 1948 with the headline "Dewey defeats Truman" -- a blunder that led to Truman's famous retort "Ain't the way I heard it." The picture of Truman holding aloft a copy of the Tribune has become part of our national folklore. To pollsters and statisticians, the results of this election were a clear indication that as a method for selecting a representative sample, quota sampling can have some serious flaws.

The basic idea of quota sampling is on the surface a good one: Force the sample to be a representative cross-seciton of the population by having each important characteristic of the population proportionally represented in the sample. Since income is an important factor in determining how people vote, the sample should have all income groups represented in the same proportion as the population at large. Ditto for sex, race, age, etc. Right away we can see one of the potential problems: Where do we stop? No matter how careful one might be, there is always the possibility that some criterion that would affect the way people vote might be missed and the sample could be deficient in this regard. An even more serious flaw in the method of quota sampling is the fact that ultimately the choice of who is in the sample is left to the human element. Recall that other than meeting the quotas the interviewers were free to choose whom they interviewed. Looking back over the history of quota sampling, one can see a clear tendency to overestimate the Republican vote. In 1936, using quota sampling, Gallup predicted the Republican candidate would get 44% of the vote, but the actual number was 38%.

In 1940 the prediction was 48% and the actual vote was 45%; in 1944 the prediction was 48% and the actual vote was 46%. But in spite of the errors, Gallup was able to predict the winner correctly in 1936, 1940 and 1944. This was merely due to luck -- the spread between the candidates was large enough to cover the error. In 1948 Gallup, and all the other pollsters, simply ran out of luck. It was time to ditch quota sampling. The failure of quota sampling as a method for getting representative samples has a moral: Even with the most carefully laid plans, human intervention in choosing the sample is always subject to bias. Biography of Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (born. March 24, 1902, Owosso, Michigan ï¿½ died March 16, 1971, Florida) was the Governor of New York 1943-1954) and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1944 and 1948.

As a leader of the liberal faction of the Republican party he fought the conservative faction led by Senator Robert A. Taft, and played a major role in nominating Dwight D. Eisenhower for the presidency in 1952. He represented the Northeastern business and professional community that accepted most of the New Deal after 1944. His successor as leader of the liberal Republicans was Nelson A. Rockefeller, who became governor of New York in 1959. Early life and career Dewey was born and raised in Owosso, Michigan, where his father edited the local newspaper. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1923, and from the Columbia Law School in 1925. While at the University of Michigan, he joined Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national fraternity for men of music. He also wrote for The Michigan Daily, the university's student newspaper club. During the 1930s, Dewey was a New York City prosecutor. He first achieved headlines in the early 1930s, when he prosecuted bootlegger Waxey Gordon while serving as Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Additionally, he relentlessly pursued gangster Dutch Schultz, both as a federal and state prosecutor. Schultz's first trial ended in a deadlock; prior to his second trial, Schultz had the venue moved to Syracuse, then moved there and garnered the sympathy of the townspeople so that when it came time for his trial, the jury found him innocent, liking him too much to convict him. Following that trial, Dewey and Fiorello H. LaGuardia found grounds with which to try Schultz a third time, driving Schultz into hiding in Newark, New Jersey. There, Schultz put into action a plan to assassinate Dewey. Crime boss Lucky Luciano, fearing that if Dewey was murdered, the FBI and federal government would wage all out war on the Mafia, ordered that Schultz be killed before he had the chance to finalize his plans. Luciano's plan went accordingly, and before Schultz could finish organizing his plot to kill Dewey, Schultz was shot to death in the bathroom of a Newark Bar. Shortly thereafter, Dewey focused his attentions on Luciano, and had him convicted of being a pimp.

In 1936, while serving as special prosecutor in New York County, Dewey helped indict and convict Richard Whitney, the former president of the New York Stock Exchange. That year, Mr. Dewey received The Hundred Year Association of New York's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York." In 1939 Dewey prosecuted American Nazi leader Fritz Kuhn for embezzlement, crippling Kuhn's organization. Dewey was elected District Attorney of New York County (Manhattan) in 1937. Governorship of New York In 1938, at age 36, Dewey ran unsuccessfully for Governor of New York on his record as a criminal prosecutor. While defeated, Dewey's strong showing against popular incumbent Governor Herbert Lehman, FDR's successor, brought him political attention. He won his second race in 1942, and was reelected in 1946 and 1950. He was regarded as an honest and efficient governor. He cut taxes, doubled state aid to education, increased salaries for state employees, and reduced the state's debt by over $100 million.

Additionally, he put through the first state law in the country which prohibited racial discrimination in employment. As governor, Dewey also signed legislation that created the State University of New York. He also strongly supported the death penalty. During his 12 years as Governor over 90 people were electrocuted (including two women) under New York authority. Presidential candidacies Dewey ran for the 1940 Republican nomination, but lost to Wendell Willkie, who went on to lose to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the general election. At the time Dewey was considered an isolationist, like Willkie's other rivals, Senators Robert Taft and Arthur Vadenberg. Dewey's position evolved during the 1940s; he was generally considered an internationalist and classed with the moderates in later years. Election of 1944 Dewey won the Republican nomination in 1944 but was defeated in the election by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the incumbent. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a socialite well known for her wit, called Dewey, alluding to his pencil-thin moustache, "the little man on the wedding cake," a bit of ridicule he could not shake.

Dewey campaigned against the alleged inefficiencies, corruption and Communist influences in New Deal, but avoided military and foreign policy debates. Election of 1948 The Chicago Daily Tribune, like most of the press, believed Dewey would win the election, as shown by this post-election headline, which Harry Truman happily displays in this photo. He was the Republican candidate in the 1948 presidential election in which, in unanimous predictions by pollsters and the press, he was projected as the winner. The Chicago Daily Tribune printed "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" as its post-election headline, issuing a few hundred copies before the returns showed conclusively that the winner was Harry S. Truman, the incumbent. Indeed, given Truman's sinking popularity, Dewey had seemed unstoppable. Republicans figured that all they had to do was to avoid destroying a certain election victory, and as such, Dewey did not take any risks. He spoke in platitudes, trying to transcend politics.

Speech after speech was filled with empty statements of the obvious, such as the famous quote: "Your future is bright, very bright indeed, brighter than a bald man's dome." An editorial in the Louisville Courier-Journal summed it up: No presidential candidate in the future will be so inept that four of his major speeches can be boiled down to these historic four sentences: Agriculture is important. Our rivers are full of fish. You cannot have freedom without liberty. Our future lies ahead. It was believed that Dewey's poor showing in 1944 was partly due to being too aggressive, a fault which his campaign aimed to avoid this time. Dewey was not as conservative as the Republican Congress, which also proved problematic for him. Truman tied Dewey to the "do-nothing" Congress. However, unlike Robert Taft, a powerful Senator from Ohio and rival for the nomination in 1948, Dewey was no longer an isolationist. He supported the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, recognition of Israel, and the Berlin airlift. Later career Dewey did not run for president in 1952 and instead helped Dwight Eisenhower win the Republican Party's presidential nomination and the subsequent election.

Dewey's third term as governor of New York expired in 1954, after which he retired from public service and returned to his law practice, Dewey-Balentine, although he remained a power broker behind the scenes in the Republican Party. It was Dewey who helped elevate a freshman Senator from California named Richard Nixon to the vice-presidency in 1952, having helped convince Eisenhower that Nixon would be the best choice as his running mate. In 1956, when Eisenhower mulled not running for a second term, he suggested Dewey as his choice as successor, but party leaders made it plain that they would not entrust the nomination to Dewey yet again, and ultimately Eisenhower decided to run again. By the 1960s, as the conservative wing assumed more and more power within the GOP, Dewey removed himself further and further from party matters. Lyndon Johnson had offered Dewey positions on several blue ribbon commissions, as well as a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, but Dewey politely declined them all, preferring to remain in political retirement.

In 1970, widower Dewey began to date actress Kitty Carlisle Hart, and there was talk of marriage between them. However, he died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 68, on March 16, 1971 while vacationing in Florida. Courtesy Wikipedia "Dewey Defeats Truman" - The Famously Mistaken Headline By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated November 03, 2015. On November 3, 1948, the morning after the 1948 presidential election, the Chicago Daily Tribune's headline read, "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN." That's what the Republicans, the polls, the newspapers, the political writers, and even many Democrats had expected. But in the largest political upset in U.S. history, Harry S. Truman surprised everyone when he, and not Thomas E. Dewey, won the 1948 election for President of the United States . Truman Steps In A little less than three months into his fourth term, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died. Two and a half hours after his death, Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President of the United States.

Truman was thrust into the presidency during World War II . Though the war in Europe was clearly in the Allies' favor and nearing an end, the war in the Pacific was continuing unmercifully. Truman was allowed no time for transition; it was his responsibility to lead the U.S. to peace. While completing Roosevelt's term, Truman was responsible for making the fateful decision to end the war with Japan by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ; creating the Truman Doctrine to give economic aid to Turkey and Greece as part of a containment policy; helping the U.S. make a transition to a peace-time economy; blocking Stalin's attempts to conquer Europe, by instigating the Berlin airlift ; helping create the state of Israel for Holocaust survivors; and fighting for strong changes toward equal rights for all citizens. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Yet the public and newspapers were against Truman. They called him a "little man" and often claimed he was inept. Perhaps the main reason for the dislike for President Truman was because he was very much unlike their beloved Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Thus, when Truman was up for election in 1948, many people did not want to the "little man" to run. Don't Run! Political campaigns are largely ritualistic.... All the evidence we have accumulated since 1936 tends to indicate that the man in the lead at the beginning of the campaign is the man who is the winner at the end of it.... The winner, it appears, clinches his victory early in the race and before he has uttered a word of campaign oratory.1 --- Elmo Roper For four terms, the Democrats had won the presidency with a "sure thing" - Franklin D. Roosevelt. They wanted another "sure thing" for the presidential election of 1948, especially since the Republicans were going to choose Thomas E. Dewey as their candidate. Dewey was relatively young, seemed well-liked, and had come very close to Roosevelt for the popular vote in the 1944 election. And though incumbent presidents usually have a strong chance to be re-elected, many Democrats didn't think Truman could win against Dewey. Though there were serious efforts to get famed General Dwight D. Eisenhower to run, Eisenhower refused.

Though many Democrats were not happy, Truman became the official Democratic candidate at the convention. Give 'Em Hell Harry vs. The Polls The polls, reporters, political writers - they all believed Dewey was going to win by a landslide. On September 9, 1948, Elmo Roper was so confident of a Dewey win that he announced there would be no further Roper Polls on this election. Roper said, "My whole inclination is to predict the election of Thomas E. Dewey by a heavy margin and devote my time and efforts to other things."2 Truman was undaunted. He believed that with a lot of hard work, he could get the votes. Though it is usually the contender and not the incumbent that works hard to win the race, Dewey and the Republicans were so confident they were going to win - barring any major faux pas - that they decided to make an extremely low-key campaign. Truman's campaign was based on getting out to the people. While Dewey was aloof and stuffy, Truman was open, friendly, and seemed one with the people. In order to talk to the people, Truman got in his special Pullman car, the Ferdinand Magellan, and traveled the country.

In six weeks, Truman traveled approximately 32,000 miles and gave 355 speeches.3 On this "Whistle-Stop Campaign," Truman would stop at town after town and give a speech, have people ask questions, introduce his family, and shake hands. From his dedication and strong will to fight as an underdog against the Republicans, Harry Truman acquired the slogan, "Give 'em hell, Harry!" But even with perseverance, hard work, and large crowds, the media still didn't believe Truman had a fighting chance. While President Truman was still on the road campaigning, Newsweek polled 50 key political journalists to determine which candidate they thought would win. Appearing in the October 11 issue, Newsweek stated the results: all 50 believed Dewey would win. The Election By election day, the polls showed that Truman had managed to cut Dewey's lead, but all media sources still believed Dewey would win by a landslide. As the reports filtered in that night, Truman was ahead in the popular votes, but the newscasters still believed Truman didn't have a chance. By four the next morning, Truman's success seemed undeniable.

At 10:14 a.m., Dewey conceded the election to Truman. Since the election results were a complete shock to the media, the Chicago Daily Tribune got caught with the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN." The photograph with Truman holding aloft the paper has become one of the most famous newspaper photos of the century. Notes 1. Elmo Roper as quoted in David McCullough, Truman (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992) 657. 2. Ibid 657. 3. John Hollister Hedley, Harry S. Truman: The 'Little' Man from Missouri (New York: Barron's Educational Series, 1979) 183. Presidential Politics . Truman . WGBH American Experience | PBS Other General Articles Harry Truman entered the 1948 presidential campaign an almost certain loser. As America moved from war to peace, the economy was faltering. The country suffered through strikes and shortages of consumer goods. Two years earlier, in the 1946 midterm elections, voters had delivered solid majorities in both houses of Congress to the GOP.

Now Truman, known as a lackluster campaigner, faced an uphill battle against Republican Thomas Dewey, the popular governor of New York. Every poll, every journalist, and even Bess Truman, the president's wife of 28 years, predicted that Truman would lose by a landslide. But Harry Truman would not give up. The president began an unofficial campaign early in June, during a cross-country train trip to the University of California at Berkeley, where he was scheduled to receive an honorary degree. Along the way, Truman made a series of what came to be known as whistlestops -- quick stopovers in cities and towns along the path of the railroad. At each whistlestop, Truman made a brief public appearance, often speaking to crowds from the back of the train. The whistlestop tour proved an unexpected success. During the trip West, a new Harry Truman emerged, one who spoke casually, yet confidently, one who relaxed in front of a crowd. The president smiled and laughed. He introduced his family to audiences, so people got to know him as a family man. And he peppered the Republican Congress with accusations of laziness, incompetence, and bias toward the rich and influential.

People loved the new Truman, yet he returned to Washington weeks later, still an underdog. In his nomination speech at the Democratic national convention, held in Philadelphia that July, Truman rallied a weary crowd by hammering the Republicans with the charge that their 1948 platform was built only for the purposes of the election. He vowed to call Congress into a special session to give Republicans a chance to make good on their campaign pledges. He also promised a Democratic victory. The Democratic party had problems of its own. Henry Wallace, Roosevelt's former vice-president and secretary of commerce, had left the Democrats to run as the Progressive party candidate. His candidacy threatened to draw some traditional Democratic voters -- liberals and African Americans -- away from Truman. Conservative Southerners , angered at Truman's support for civil rights, split from the Democrats after the convention to form the States' Rights Democratic party, with Strom Thurmond as their candidate. The defections, from the right and the left, meant trouble for Truman. The Republicans chose New York governor Thomas E. Dewey as their candidate. Confident, handsome, and a polished public speaker, Dewey had run as the Republican presidential candidate four years before, losing to the revered Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

But Harry Truman was no FDR . Dewey seemed capable of losing the election only by shooting himself in the foot. When the official phase of Truman's 1948 campaign began, the president repeated the whistlestop strategy he had honed on his trip to California in the spring. He blasted the Republicans in speech after speech, telling voters that Dewey and the GOP wanted to dismantle Roosevelt's New Deal and make America a nation by the rich and for the rich. "Give 'em hell, Harry" became the battle cry of his supporters. Meanwhile, Dewey focused on looking good, speaking in platitudes, and being inoffensive. And his strategy seemed to be working. Just days before the election, the media still gave him a big edge. Some of his aides had even bought houses in Washington, D.C., anticipating work in a Thomas Dewey White House. On the evening of the election, November 2, Truman stepped out of the spotlight, retiring to a hotel suite in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He ate dinner, had a drink, and went to bed early. At midnight, an aide awakened Truman to tell him that he was ahead, but still expected to lose.

At 4 am, the president was awakened again. This time, he found his lead growing, not shrinking as expected. It seemed that the impossible -- a Truman victory -- was about to happen. At just after 10 am, Thomas Dewey conceded defeat. Harry Truman had refused to surrender, and he had engineered the greatest upset in the history of American politics. But for Truman, perhaps the most triumphant moment of 1948 was yet to come. On his way back to Washington by train, Truman was handed a copy of the November 3 Chicago Tribune . "Dewey Defeats Truman," the headline read. As photographer's flashbulbs exploded, a beaming Truman held the paper aloft. The headline -- and the campaign of 1948 -- would become political legend. Articles about Dewey Defeats Truman by Date - Page 2 - tribunedigital-chicagotribune Plagiarism's point man By Julia Keller, Tribune cultural critic | February 14, 2002 Thomas Mallon loves coincidences, loves the odd and unsettling tricks of a capricious fate. He's a sucker for the unlikely connection, the eerie symmetry.

So maybe he won't mind trying this one on for size: Mallon's new book, "Mrs. Paine's Garage and the Murder of John F. Kennedy" (2002), is about a woman on the innocent fringes of the JFK assassination. Kennedy's family was the subject of "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys," Doris Kearns Goodwin's 1987 book that is now the focus of researchers who charge that Goodwin plagiarized portions of it -- and Mallon, as it happens, is regarded by many as the nation's foremost authority on plagiarism, as his 1989 book on the topic, "Stolen Words," recently was reissued in paperback. Advertisement - In the April 14 Friday section's list of restaurants... April 15, 2000 - In the April 14 Friday section's list of restaurants serving brunches, some information on the Radisson Hotel Lincolnwood's brunches was incorrect. The ages are 4 to 11 for children's prices for all brunches, with no charge for children 3 and under.

Easter and Mother's Day seatings are at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. - In the article "Enumeration of a Nation" in Thursday's Tempo, the year in which the Tribune printed the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" was incorrect. The year was 1948. NEWS Abcnews.com Mistakenly Posts Day-early Vote `Results' November 3, 1998 It may not have been "Dewey Defeats Truman," but ABCnews.com's posting of test election results on its Web site was an embarrassing mistake on the eve of Election Day. "It wasn't our finest hour," spokeswoman Michelle Bergman said Tuesday. The "outcomes" of Senate and gubernatorial races and ballot issues for all 50 states were posted Monday afternoon. For example, it had Democratic Lt. Gov. Gray Davis beating Republican challenger Dan Lungren 49 percent to 46 percent in the California governor's race. SPORTS You The Man, Tiger By Ed Sherman.

Ed Sherman covers golf for the Tribune | April 5, 1998 My boss was playing on the Internet one day last week, teaching a computer illiterate--me. He decided to put my name in the Yahoo search engine to see what would come up. Obviously, it was a slow news day. Sure enough, we found an Ed Sherman in California who is a divorce lawyer, which was funny because my wife is one too. Thankfully, I'm not in need of that other Ed Sherman's services. At least I don't think I am. Then we stumbled on to an article titled, "Tiger Woods & Bill Klinton." SPORTS Good Morning, By Ed Sherman | January 10, 1998 Can we interest you in a certain Chicago model? DALLAS BEAR Dave Wannstedt to Dallas probably is wishful thinking on the part of Bears fans. Don't expect Jerry Jones to bail out Mike McCaskey. As for his next move, Jones said, "I will not share with you a time frame I have or a process for selecting the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys." You mean there was a process to hiring Barry Switzer?

HELLO, GARY Don't be nervous just yet, but does Jones have Gary Barnett's phone number? BUSINESS What's A Bad Headline Worth? By Andrew Leckey | December 22, 1997 Q--Could you tell me the value of the 1948 Chicago Tribune newspaper with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman?" I have one in good condition. A--You own what may be the best-known collectible newspaper edition in U.S. history, immortalized when a grinning President Harry Truman was photographed holding the paper the day after he'd defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election. A Nov. 3, 1948, Chicago Tribune with that specific headline once commanded a price of $1,200 in good condition, but is now worth between $400 and $500, according to the Newspaper Collectors' Society of America in Lansing, Mich. NEWS November 3, 1948 By Tim Jones, Tribune staff.

Reprinted from "Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City", edited by Stevenson Swanson, Contemporary Books | July 27, 1997 As a presidential candidate, Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York was not a glad-hander, not a flesh-presser. He was stiff and tended toward pomposity. "The only man who could strut sitting down" was the crack that made the rounds. But on Nov. 2, Election Day, an overwhelming sense of inevitability hung about the Republican nominee. The polls and the pundits left no room for doubt: Dewey was going to defeat President Harry S. Truman. And the Tribune would be the first to report it. Arguably the most famous headline in the newspaper's 150-year history, DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN is every publisher's nightmare on every election night.

ENTERTAINMENT Master Of Detail By Herbert Mitgang, a novelist and critic, and the author of "Civilians Under Arms." | January 26, 1997 Dewey Defeats Truman By Thomas Mallon Pantheon, 355 pages, $24 It takes a vivid imagination to turn the most famous presidential headline in modern newspaper history--"Dewey Defeats Truman"--into a work of fiction. Did the Chicago Daily Tribune editor develop an Excedrin headache the morning after that Page 1 banner appeared below the masthead, prematurely and incorrectly, when President Harry Truman was re-elected in November 1948? The reader won't find the answer in Thomas Mallon's new novel. NEWS History Lesson By Richard J. Lane | September 20, 1996 As I read each day the glowing reports in your news columns of the "insurmountable lead" that President Clinton enjoys in the polls, the "desperate condition" of the Bob Dole campaign, etc. etc., I cannot help but remember with some amusement that the most famous headline that ever appeared in the Tribune was "Dewey defeats Truman"!

NEWS Election '96: The Horse Race By Stephen Henderson | August 5, 1996 The world will forever remember a smiling Harry Truman holding a Chicago Tribune heralding his political demise the day after the 1948 presidential election. "Dewey Defeats Truman," of course, was wrong. But the Tribune wasn't alone in falsely predicting the election's outcome. Gallup goofed the 1948 election, too, marking the first time the poll--which had earned a reputation for conducting reliable political polls--predicted the wrong presidential candidate. The final Gallup poll, taken in early November of that year, showed Thomas Dewey leading Harry Truman by five points. The 1948 Presidential Election Polls The 1948 Presidential Election Polls Description One of the most famous failures of political polling occurred in the 1948 presidential election between Harry Truman (the democratic incumbent) and Thomas Dewey (the republican challenger). There were also a couple of third party candidates. The Gallup, Roper, and Crossley polls all predicted that Dewey would defeat Truman by a significant margin, but in fact, just the opposite happened.

The results of the polls and the actual election results (in percentages) are given in the following table: 1948 Election The Crossley, Gallup, and Roper organizations all used quota sampling . Each interviewer was assigned a specified number of subjects to interview. Moreover, the interviewer was required to interview specified numbers of subjects in various categories, based on residential area, sex, age, race, economic status, and other variables. The intent of quota sampling is to ensure that the sample represents the population in all essential respects. The Chicago Tribune felt so confident in the polls that the night of the election, the paper went ahead and printed the following morning's edition with a banner headline that Dewey had defeated Truman. The picture of Truman holding the paper is one of the most famous images in American politics. Dewey Defeats Truman What went wrong? Outside of the quota constraints, each interviewer was free to pick his subjects any way that he pleased. It is now generally accepted that this freedom of choice created selection bias in favor of Dewey. At the time, evidently, republicans were slightly easier to find and interview than democrats.

Sources Dewey Defeats Truman Dewey Defeats Truman Dewey Defeats Truman Dewey Defeats Truman Dewey Defeats Truman Newspaper collectibles for sale including the iconic paper from the Chicago Tribune 1948 in which they incorrectly predicted that Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry Truman in the presidential election. This historic newspaper is considered to be one of the greatest errors in media and newspaper history. As one of the leading dealers and collectors of Dewey Defeats Truman newspapers in the country, we are uniquely qualified to help you add this historic newspaper to your collection or as a gift for someone special. Generally speaking, vintage and original newspapers like these are graded based on completeness, coloring, rips and tears and overall appearance. Each of these factors effect price. Most collectors focus their attention on the front page of the newspaper since that is what is typically displayed Buy with confidence, every historic newspaper comes with our 100% guarantee of authenticity 12 Item(s) $1,895.00 Add to Cart We are fortunate to have discovered yet another original of this famous edition of the Chicago Tribune of November 3, 1948. It is the complete, original and authentic newspaper.

This is arguably the most famous and sought after newspaper of all time. When the decision to print this paper was made, returns were coming in very slowly and time was running out before the deadline for the edition. The Tribune staff, based on the early returns, decided Dewey would be the next President. After the newspaper was delivered to the street, more returns came in and showed that Truman would be the ultimate winner and be reelected as President. The already delivered "error" newspapers were gathered for return by staff members sent out to pick them up from newsstands and homes in the Chicago area. It also has the paragraph of type in the upside down position as all original examples have since the newspaper workers in haste to get the edition to the newsstands made the error. Original editions of this newspaper are becoming increasingly scarce. Here is a description of the condition. The paper is professionally matted and framed . The newsprint is evenly toned throughout. The Dewey Defeats Truman headline is bold and clean. This is a complete first section of the newspaper. The iconic upside down type in the right column is clear and visible. There is a vertical tear extending from the top of the paper to the "un" in Tribune at the top right.

There are the typical small pull tears at the center of the horizontal fold and a small tear at the left edge of the paper next to the "Probable Winners" article. There are six small plastic clips holding the newspaper in place (top and bottom) so the newspaper has not been damaged or permanently attached when framed. Overall we would rate the condition of this newspaper as very good. If you are looking for an example of this rare newspaper to display in an office, library or den, then this is a nice opportunity to acquire this rare and professionally framed newspaper at a very reasonable price. Learn More $1,595.00 Add to Cart We are fortunate to have discovered yet another original of this famous edition of the Chicago Tribune of November 3, 1948. It is the complete, original and authentic newspaper. This is arguably the most famous and sought after newspaper of all time. When the decision to print this paper was made, returns were coming in very slowly and time was running out before the deadline for the edition. The Tribune staff, based on the early returns, decided Dewey would be the next President.

After the newspaper was delivered to the street, more returns came in and showed that Truman would be the ultimate winner and be reelected as President. The already delivered "error" newspapers were gathered for return by staff members sent out to pick them up from newsstands and homes in the Chicago area. It also has the paragraph of type in the upside down position as all original examples have since the newspaper workers in haste to get the edition to the newsstands made the error. Original editions of this newspaper are becoming increasingly scarce. Here is a description of the condition. The paper is beautifully matted and framed with archival quality matting and glass, with a commemorative plaque at the bottom. At first glance this original classic newspaper appears very presentable with the Dewey Defeats Truman headline bold and the iconic upside down type visible. You see signs of toning particularly in the right hand bottom corner. Notwithstanding good first impressions, this is actually not a complete newspaper, but rather just the front page, in fact the top half of the front page. Apparently somewhere over the last 60+ years the front page was cut in half and trimmed on the sides.

If you are looking for an example of this rare newspaper to display in an office, library or den and impressions are important, but the fact that it is not a complete paper does not bother you, then this is a marvelous opportunity to acquire this rare newspaper - professionally matted and framed - for a fraction of the price of a complete framed paper. . Learn More $59.95 Add to Cart Harry Truman's Bobblehead stands 7" tall and features the former President. Produced by Royal Bobbles, the cadillac of collectible bobbleheads. Fun, interesting and a limited edition just recently released. Learn More $59.95 Add to Cart The iconic "The Buck Stops Here" desk plaque was proudly displayed on President Harry Truman's desk in his White House office beginning in 1945. The original sign was crafted at the Federal Reformatory in El Reno, Oklahoma. Great gift item that is perfect for the collector or the executive that wants to make a point. The phrase "the buck stops here" has its history in the expression "pass the buck" which denotes passing the responsibility on to someone else.

The reverse of the sign appears with the original slogan "i'm from Missouri" During President Truman's time as President of the United States he often referred to the design in public speeches in order to make it clear that he alone is prepared to make the tough decisions. That is his job as President. Very nice wooden desk frame with painted sign measuring approximately 13" wide by 1 3/4" wide. Great for an executive desk gift! Learn More $59.95 Add to Cart Harry Truman's Bobblehead stands 7" tall and features the former President holding the famous newspaper that read "Dewey Defeats Truman." Features his famous plaque that reads "The Buck Stops Here!". Fun, interesting and a limited edition just recently released. Learn More $49.95 Add to Cart The famous photo of Harry Truman holding up the Chicago Tribune edition of November 3, 1948 proclaiming Dewey Defeats Truman. Arguably the most famous newspaper every published. The error and this photo are now internationally famous. The Tribune staff, based on the early returns, decided Dewey would be the next President.

After the newspaper was delivered to the street, more returns came in and showed that Truman would be the ultimate winner and be reelected as President. The already delivered "error" newspapers were gathered for return by staff members sent out to pick them up from newsstands and homes in the Chicago area. Nicely framed and matted. Can be hung or you can use the easel stand on back for desk display. Very nice historic reproduction for your library, office or political memorabilia collection. Includes a very nice commemorative bronze plaque at the bottom. Shipped well packed so it arrives in perfect condition. Learn More $14.95 Add to Cart This is an original campaign button from the 1944 Election campaign of Dewey and Bricker for President and Vice President of the United States. Dewey easily overcame Bricker and was nominated on the first ballot. In a bid to maintain party unity, Dewey, a moderate, chose the conservative Bricker as his running mate; Bricker was nominated by acclamation. Learn More $14.95 Add to Cart This is an original campaign button from the 1944 Election campaign of Dewey and Bricker for President and Vice President of the United States.

Dewey easily overcame Bricker and was nominated on the first ballot. In a bid to maintain party unity, Dewey, a moderate, chose the conservative Bricker as his running mate; Bricker was nominated by acclamation. Learn More $14.95 Add to Cart One of the most famous photos of all time, this postcard features the iconic photo of President Harry Truman triumphantly holding a copy of the famous Chicago Tribune newspaper with the headline Dewey Defeats Truman. These cards were produced in St. Louis, Missouri and shows a photo of President-elect Harry Truman holding the paper at the St. Louis Union Station, November 5, 1948. Original. Learn More $9.95 Add to Cart This is a clever campaign button from the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton for President. Produced after the vote electing Clinton was concluded, the button lampoons naysayers who said then President George H.W. Bush would defeat Bill Clinton in Bush's re-election campaign.

The button features President Harry Truman holding up a copy of the famous Chicago Daily Tribune newspaper that erroneously reported that Dewey had beaten Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election, but instead of proclaiming "Dewey Defeats Truman" as the original newspaper did, this one proclaims "Bush Defeats Clinton". Learn More $7.95 Add to Cart This is an original Dewey and Warren campaign button from the election campaign of Dewey and Warren for President and Vice President of the United States. This is a small size button in very good condition. Learn More $4.95 Add to Cart One of the most famous photos of all time, this postcard features the iconic photo of President Harry Truman triumphantly holding a copy of the famous Chicago Tribune newspaper with the headline Dewey Defeats Truman. The card was produced in St. Louis, Missouri and shows a photo of President-elect Harry Truman holding the paper at the St. Louis Union Station, November 5, 1948. Original. Learn More Sort By Latest Testimonial I appreciate everything - the speedy response, the customer service, and of course, the product itself. Often, I'm skeptical and think that online...

View more - Shoshana, Golden Valley Minnesota October 11, 2016 Lori, The poster arrived late yesterday afternoon. It is hanging on my wall, and it looks absolutely fantastic! I smile when I see the President... View more Mike B June 18, 2016 Lori: After weeks of research, asking for referrals and conducting a competitive analysis - I landed with Lori Ferber Collectibles.My journey has... View more B. G. February 26, 2015 Lori & Steve: Your honesty and integrity are inspiring and conducive to an ongoing business... View more P.W. February 26, 2015 Thank you very much for your assistance in making sure that the gift is now perfect. I have been spreading the word about the excellent customer... View more A. H. You have no items in your shopping cart. Community Poll How Long Will It Be Before The Secret Service Takes Donald Trump's Twitter Account & Cell Phone Away From Him? Never They Probably Already Did! Vote I appreciate everything - the speedy response, the customer service, and of course, the product itself. Often, I'm skeptical and think that online testimonials only post the positive feedback, or even make up feedback.

I can tell from the service I received that not only were these testimonials legitimate (just like your products), but it is likely they are all so positive because I can't imagine you getting a negative review. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure working with you. This is how customer service is supposed to look and it is so refreshing! I'll certainly be back to purchase additional gifts for my history-buff boyfriend in the future. - Shoshana, Golden Valley Minnesota October 11, 2016 Lori, The poster arrived late yesterday afternoon. It is hanging on my wall, and it looks absolutely fantastic! I smile when I see the President staring down at me as I am sitting at my desk. Thanks so much! Well done! Best, Mike B Mike B June 18, 2016 Lori: After weeks of research, asking for referrals and conducting a competitive analysis - I landed with Lori Ferber Collectibles.My journey has been wonderful to say the least Steve & Lori are excellent! B. G. February 26, 2015 Lori & Steve: Your honesty and integrity are inspiring and conducive to an ongoing business relationship. P.W.

February 26, 2015 Lori: Thank you ever so much for the Presidential Inaugural Invitation. I was moved because it means so very much to me. I was in Washington D.C. last year during the inauguration, however, I had been hoping to eventually obtain something this special (I even wrote to my Congressman and others). Again, thank you so much and may you have continued success in your business in the coming years. W.M. February 20, 2015 Thank you very much for your assistance in making sure that the gift is now perfect. I have been spreading the word about the excellent customer service I've received from you A. H. February 26, 2015 Lori, I cannot wait to place my next order! Thanks again for your advice. I look forward to placing my next order. N. R. February 26, 2015 Thank you so much! It is nice experiencing great customer service in a world that seems to have forgotten it is more than a phrase! S. D. February 26, 2015 I received it yesterday, thank you so much for sending it so quickly!!

I'm thrilled, and absolutely LOVE it! Thank you again!! Mary M. February 26, 2015 Subscribe to our Free Newsletter! Subscribe

Question: Who, according to the Chicago Tribune, did Thomas Dewey defeat in 1948?
Answer: Harry S Truman