President Frances Perkins?

Truman keeps in her in his cabinet as Secretary of Labor, or at a higher level postion (Secretary of the Treasury?). At the 1948 Democratic Party convention she receives most votes as the party's candidate for President. She wins the general election against Thomas Dewey, the Republican candidate.

Variation are that in the 1946 midterm elections, she is elected to the Senate, or as a State Governor. Though I think it would be unlikely that she would run for President in her second year as a Governor. Less unlikely as a Senator.

Anyway to be nominated in 1948, she would needed to have been active in politics in some way since Truman became President, and certainly in early 1948.
 
Truman keeps in her in his cabinet as Secretary of Labor, or at a higher level postion (Secretary of the Treasury?). At the 1948 Democratic Party convention she receives most votes as the party's candidate for President. She wins the general election against Thomas Dewey, the Republican candidate.

Variation are that in the 1946 midterm elections, she is elected to the Senate, or as a State Governor. Though I think it would be unlikely that she would run for President in her second year as a Governor. Less unlikely as a Senator.

Anyway to be nominated in 1948, she would needed to have been active in politics in some way since Truman became President, and certainly in early 1948.


In 1948, Truman's OTL VP, Alben Barkley turned 71 in November, 1948. Barkley was denied a presidential pursuit (in 1952) by the unions for his age. A different VP for Truman is not impossible.

A different VP could have been in line for the presidency. But in those conservative times, a female VP could have thrown the close election of 1948 to Dewey.
 
A different VP could have been in line for the presidency. But in those conservative times, a female VP could have thrown the close election of 1948 to Dewey.

I like the idea of giving her the veepship instead of Barkley; possibly, Truman faces a much more contested convention, and places her on the ticket in order to gain union support.

But I don't really think she'd be that much of a drag on the ticket; she's a 12-year cabinet member, she's hardly 'radical', and she has very close ties to the still-beloved FDR. Truman will lose some votes because of her, for sure, but a high level of female support should be enough to overcome objections from male voters. She may also help to give New York to Truman, despite Dewey's base there, which would offset losses elsewhere.

Once she's veep, though, it's still difficult to make her President. In an OTL-equivalent TL, it's almost impossible for a Democrat to win in 1952, especially against Eisenhower. But it's not impossible.
 
Vice Presidential Candidate Truman is murdered in September or early October 1944. (The murder is committed by someone associated with the right)There is a serious attempt by the Democrat left to renominate Henry Wallace.

Frances Perkins is acceptable to the left and conservative Democrats feel she is better than Wallace.

The outcome of the 1944 election is roughly as in OTL. (Democrats probably lose votes from having a woman but have gained comparable numbers from the outrage of Truman's murder.)
 
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