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The 1944 Democratic Convention

Roosevelt was on his last legs. Physically the signs of old age were already upon him. He was weak and those around him could not help but notice it. But he would give it one last great push for his legacy. His Vice-President, Henry A. Wallace, was a man with few friends in the Democratic Party. Conservatives and Southerners saw him as a socialist who could not be trusted. Labor was none too fond of him either, as despite his support of their cause he was not one of them. After all, he had grown up a Republican and was far more concerned about agriculture than industry. Both groups wanted him off the ticket.

But Roosevelt would not budge. Deploying Eleanor to the Democratic Convention in Chicago, he made it clear that he would not tacitly accept the delegates choice for a replacement. When Roosevelt arrived she was greeted by Hopkins who proposed that former South Carolina Senator James Byrnes be chosen as a compromise candidate. Others wanted Senator Harry Truman, a staunch New Dealer in his own right. But the First Lady was locked in to her goal. She would accept no substitute, it was Wallace or bust. Hopkins conveyed this reality to the power brokers. Initially they were skeptical, and the first ballot went ahead with no agreement over who Roosevelt's running mate would be. Wallace held a slim lead over Byrnes, with the conservative Alabama Senator John Bankhead in third. Truman was reluctant to accept his name being thrown into consideration. He understood the political risk associated with alienating the President, a man whose respect he was just begging to gain.

As Truman hesitated the second ballot once again showed Wallace in the lead. Labor waited for Truman's decision. In the end he would stand down. Delivering a speech to the delegates, Truman stated "we must remember who has brought us to victory time after time. It is Mr. Roosevelt, the President of the United States. I don't know about all of you, but I am truly grateful for all he has done for this party and this nation. I stand in support of the President and his choice for Vice-President, Henry A. Wallace". With that Wallace was in. His nomination was slim, but it was enough. The Democratic ticket was set, and with it a future for the party of Roosevelt and the New Deal.
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