Thomas E. Dewey

Dewey used his national reputation as a criminal prosecutor to launch a career in politics. He was the Republican Party candidate for Governor of New York in 1938 and won the position in 1942 at the age of forty. By 1944 Governor Dewey was already a strong contender when he became the Republican candidate for president against Roosevelt. With World War II raging in Europe and the Pacific, however, Dewey was the underdog, since the American public usually does not change presidents during times of crisis. Although he lost to Roosevelt, Dewey was reelected New York's governor in 1946 by the largest majority in the history of the state.