 Georgia Republican Party Central Committee Campaign Files
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteDuring the mid-twentieth century, southern Republicans became active in getting more Republicans in public office. Prior to the presidential election of 1948, Georgia voted unanimously not to place a state ticket on the November ballot but instead to concentrate all their efforts on carrying Georgia for presidential nominee Thomas Dewey and vice-presidential nominee Earl Warren. This was done with the hope that Republicans would slowly fill seats on a national level. With Republican confidence and popularity in place on a national level, the Georgia GOP could work on filling seats on the state level turning the tide against the Democrats who dominated the state. Thomas Edmund Dewey was born on March 24, 1902, in Owosso, Michigan, the son of the local newspaper publisher. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Michigan in 1923 and graduated from Columbia University Law School in 1925. From 1931 to 1933, he served as chief assistant to the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York and then as U.S. attorney. From 1934 to 1935, he was a special assistant to U.S. Attorney General Homer Stille Cummings. In 1938, he ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York against Herbert H. Lehman. Two years later he made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Then in 1942, he was elected governor, and he won re-election in 1946 and 1950. In 1944, Dewey had won the Republican presidential nomination but was defeated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was nominated to run for president in 1948, this time against President Harry Truman. Dewey chose California Governor Earl Warren as his running mate. Unexpectedly, he suffered another defeat, against all predictions at the polls; the wide lead given him by the public opinion polls led to fatal over-confidence. His own lackluster campaign, Democratic President Harry S. Truman's attacks on the "do-nothing" Republican 80th Congress, and the country's prosperity gave Truman an upset victory. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of pamphlets, newsletters, and campaign flyers of the Republican National Committee and The Georgia Republican, the newsletter of the Georgia Republican Party Central Committee focusing on the 1948 presidential campaign of Republicans Thomas E. Dewey and Earl Warren. The Georgia Republican newsletter also offers other Republican Party information during that time in Georgia. Organization and ArrangementThe collection is organized into one series, I. Political, with two sub-series: A. Campaign Materials and B. Newsletters. The Georgia Republican newsletters have been separated from the rest of the campaign material to create a more useable arrangement. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationGeorgia Republican Party Central Committee Campaign Files, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the department head. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2008. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Thomas M. Hayes Collection of Georgia Republican Party Campaign Audiovisual Materials Georgia Republican Party Records Related Collections in Other RepositoriesGeorgia Government Documentation Project, Special Collections, Georgia State University Earl Warren Papers, California State Archives Thomas E. Dewey Papers, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York | ||||||||||||||||||