This is Thomas E. Dewey

Most people know him as the guy who lost to Truman

But Thomas E. Dewey was much more than just a presidential loser

In the 1930’s Dewey was a top NYC prosecutor

He successfully convicted mob kingpin Charles “Lucky” Luciano

Riding high off these victories Dewey successfully ran for Governor of New York in 1938

He was just 36 years old

Dewey was a rising star in the Republican Party and in 1944 won the nomination to face FDR in the general election

He never stood a chance

To this day Dewey is still the youngest Republican nominee at 42 years old

Four years later Dewey again won the Republican nomination.

This time he was up against Harry Truman who had taken over when FDR died in office

The campaign of 1948 looks eerily similar to today’s

Dewey was a clear cut favorite over Truman

And he acted like it

Dewey avoided taking risks and avoided controversial issues

His speeches were purposefully vague

Truman on the other hand was the complete opposite

Nicknamed Give Em Hell Harry Truman barnstormed across the country

He gave 355 speeches in six weeks before the election

Traveling nearly 32,000 miles

Truman simply ran a better campaign

He also gave us one of the most iconic images ever

Dewey didn’t leave politics after losing the election

He again ran for Governor of New York and won easily

He is widely considered one of the best governors in New York history

Dewey remained active in the Republican Party for many years

Most historians feel Dewey would have made a fine president

Legendary political pollster George Gallup called Dewey “the ablest public figure of his lifetime”

But today we remember him for losing an election he should have won

History, like life

Is much more complicated