What if Truman refused to accept the Democratic Vice Presidential nomination in 1944? I'm not sure who else would be considered, but how would it affect the post-war years if FDR dies on schedule? Since there wouldn't be Truman's confrontational attitude toward the USSR or FDR's willingness to compromise for the sake of peace, how would the post-war atmosphere develop?
Neither Truman Nor Wallace in '44
- Thread starter wilcoxchar
- Start date
John Fredrick Parker
Donor
According to Wikipedia, possible candidates other than Truman included (from oldest to youngest): Alben W Barkley; Sam Rayburn; James F Byrnes; Henry Kaiser; and William O Douglas. Since Douglas would be the only other candidate under 60, I'd go with him...
Paul V McNutt
Banned
A Douglas presidency would be interesting. i think a outspoken as he was in later years, there may be a problem with political skills. He would have to resign from the court to accept the nomination. That give FDR another vacancy. I remember reading that some were unsuccessfully pressuring him when he made his last appointment in 1943 to appoint legendary appeals court judge Lernad Hand. Maybe with another opportunity, Roosevelt gives in and appoints Hand OTL. Hand retired in 1951 which would give Douglas another pick. Douglas would not have the personal connections to those that HST picked: former Senators Harold Burton and Sherman Minton or Secretary of Treasurer Fred Vinson. After leaving office, Truman said he appointed Attorney General Tom Clark to the SCOTUS to get rid of him. I think Douglas would be more serious about who selected for the Supreme Court.
The fact is that FDR was fuckin' crazy and told everybody different stuff. There's a pool of likelies - Bynes, Douglas, Rayburn, Barkley - but FDR could have picked any of them, or none of them, and no one could really stop him. There was a groundswell against Byrnes in favor of Douglas, though, and Byrnes had a lot going against him - Southern, Catholic, weak with labor.
Douglas was a toss up with Truman. I think Douglas was fishing some where in the wilds during the convention. So how do they get the word out to him if he is FDR's choice. Please correct me if I am wrong about that. I plan on reading FDR Dewey and the election of 1944 by David M. Jordan it is new maybe it has some new insights.
Yes but he's also the only one FDR really seemed to actually want for the job. Everyone else he didn't really care about and he played mindfuck with the world.
Byrnes is unlikely, Big Labor would veto and his conversion from Catholicism to Episcopalianism set off a storm of bigotry on both sides. Personally I think Lucas would be the best bet in this scenario.