Thomas E. Dewey

Thomas E. Dewey
Portrait of Thomas Dewey, circa 1948
33rd President of the United States
In Office January 20, 1941 - January 20, 1949
Vice President	Joseph Martin Jr.
Preceded by	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Succeeded by	Dwight Eisenhower
District Attorney of New York County
In Office January 1, 1938 - January 19, 1941
Preceded by	William C. Dodge
Succeeded by	Frank Hogan
Personal details
Native name	Thomas Edmund Dewey
Date of birth	March 24, 1902
Place of birth	Owosso, Michigan, U.S.
Age at start	60 years old
Nationality	American
Role	Former President of the United States
Political party	Republican Party
Ideology	Conservatism

Thomas Edmund Dewey was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1948. The most notable event of his term was the losses of World War II and of Hawaii.

History

Early Life and political career

Thomas Edmund Dewey was born on March 24th, 1902, in Michigan. Dewey studied at the University of Michigan and Columbia University. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt refused the possibility of a third term, a power vacuum was created, giving the Republican Party a chance to win the White House for the first time since 1928. The campaign focused on neutrality and avoiding any provocation against the Axis Powers. Dewey and other Republican candidates cited the Neutrality Acts and the Monroe Doctrine, a focus that was reinforced after the fall of France in 1940.

After his victory in the 1940 election, Dewey presided over America during the Second World War. He refused to commit to Lend-Lease with Britain and the Soviet Union, claiming that a war on the other side of the Atlantic was not in American interests. Despite this, there was still support for China in its war against Japan, but Dewey did not focus on the modernization of the armed forces. He had confidence that the Axis Powers would respect the rhetoric of isolation held by the country. This, among other factors of his administration, left America completely unprepared for the surging Japanese threat to the east, which finally exploded when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

World War Two

Tomas E. Dewey in his war declaration against Japan, December 8th 1941.

In the aftermath of the disastrous defeat at Pearl Harbor, Dewey declared war on Japan on December 8th. Following this, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Soon after, Congress approved the sending of war supplies to Britain and the USSR, but due to the lack of prior support, The inevitable collapse of the Union took place on the last days of 1941 and the first weeks of 1942. Dewey then focused on the defense of Britain, but continuous defeats in the Pacific and the previous isolationist policies made Lend-Lease to Britain inefficient. Additionally, some Republicans in Congress voiced opposition to supplying aid, arguing that America needed to secure itself before helping anyone else.

Despite continuous disasters at Midway, the Philippines, and mainly the fall of Britain, Dewey's popularity began to grow back as America slowly began to win some decisive battles, such as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This was enough for him to be re-elected in 1944, but his reputation and public image were permanently marred after the atomic bombing of Hawaii and the loss of the USA in World War II on the Akagi Accords. Following the humiliating defeat, his popularity collapsed, and he was labeled the "worst president in U.S. history." These events ultimately led to his retirement from public life in the post-war years, although he continued his political career throughout the 1950s.