1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee

none June 2025 September 2023 1948 United States presidential election 1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee Tennessee presidential no 1944 United States presidential election in Tennessee 1944 1952 United States presidential election in Tennessee 1952 November 2, 1948https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1948 United States Presidential election of 1948 — Encyclopædia Britannica October 31, 2017 x160px Harry S Truman, bw half-length photo portrait, facing front, 1945 (cropped).jpg Harry S. Truman Democratic Party (United States) Missouri Alben W. Barkley 11 270,402 49.14% Strom Thurmond 1948 (cropped).jpg Strom Thurmond States' Rights Democratic South Carolina Fielding L. Wright 1 73,815 13.41% Thomas Dewey (3x4 crop).jpg Thomas E. Dewey Republican Party (United States) New York Earl Warren 0 202,914 36.87% 350px County results Truman #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% #0645b4 80–90% Dewey #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #AA0000 80–90% Thurmond #ffb380 40–50% #d45500 80–90% President Harry S. Truman Democratic Party (United States) Harry S. Truman Democratic Party (United States) The 1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 2, 1948, as part of the 1948 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 12https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/votes/1941_1953.html#1948 1948 Election for the Forty-First Term (1949-53) October 31, 2017 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Incumbent president Harry S. Truman won the state with 49.14% of the vote over the Republican nominee, governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey, and the Dixiecrat nominee, governor of South Carolina Strom Thurmond. Eleven of the state's electors voted for Truman, while one voted for Thurmond. Background For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee was divided according to Civil War loyalties. Unionist regions covering most of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five western Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and WayneWright John K. Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps https://archive.org/details/sim_geographical-review_1932-10_22_4/page/666 Geographical Review 22 4 October 1932 666–672 10.2307/208821 208821 1932GeoRv..22..666W voted Republican, generally by landslide margins, as they saw the Democratic Party as the "war party".Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York, 1949), pp. 282-283 The rest of Middle and West Tennessee, which had supported the Confederacy, was equally fiercely Democratic, as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.Lyons William Scheb (II) John M. Stair Billy Government and Politics in Tennessee 2001 183–184 Univ. of Tennessee Press 1572331410 After the disfranchisement of the state's African-American population by a poll tax was largely complete in the 1890s,Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 9780691163246 the Democratic Party was certain of winning statewide elections if united,Grantham Dewey W. Tennessee and Twentieth-Century American Politics' Tennessee Historical Quarterly 54 3 Fall 1995 210–229 although unlike in the Deep South Republicans would almost always gain thirty to forty percent of the statewide vote. Between 1896 and 1948, the Republicans would win statewide contests three times, but only in the second did they receive down-ballot coattails by winning three congressional seats in addition to the rock-ribbed GOP First and Second Districts.Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 287 In the early 1910s, prohibitionist “Independent Democrats” fled the party and formed a coalition, known as the “Fusionists,” with Republicans to elect Ben W. Hooper Governor.Langsdon Phillip Tennessee: A Political History Franklin, Tennessee Hillsboro Press 2000 287–295 In 1920, the national anti-Wilson and anti-League of Nations tide allowed the GOP to carry a few traditionally Democratic areas in Middle Tennessee and with them the state,Reichard Gary W. The Aberration of 1920: An Analysis of Harding's Victory in Tennessee The Journal of Southern History 36 1 February 1970 33–49 10.2307/2206601 2206601 and in 1928 anti-Catholic sentiment targeting Catholic Democratic nominee Al Smith and his opposition to Prohibition gave this powerfully Protestant state to Herbert Hoover.Larson Edward J. Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion October 3, 2006 Basic Books 9780465075102 After the beginning of the Great Depression, however, for the next third of a century Republicans would rarely contest statewide offices seriously, despite continuing dominance of Unionist areas.Majors William R. Change and continuity: Tennessee politics since the Civil War 72 9780865542099 1986 Mercer University Press State politics during the 1930s and 1940s was dominated by E. H. Crump, whose Memphis-based political machine would consistently provide decisive votes in statewide Democratic primaries, aided by cross-party voting by Republicans in eastern mountain counties. Campaign Although Tennessee's delegates at the 1948 Democratic National Convention were all opposed to incumbent President Harry S. Truman after he accepted the findings of the President's Committee on Civil Rights, the presence of potentially formidable Republican opposition in Unionist areas of the state meant that Crump could not keep his own machine in line.Guthrie Paul Daniel The Dixiecrat Movement of 1948 181–182 Bowling Green State University 144207 1955 Governor Jim Nance McCord and Senator Kenneth McKellar both broke with Crump over his support for "Dixiecrat" nominee Strom Thurmond, with McCord losing renomination to Crump foe Gordon Browning.Phillip Royal Langsdon Tennessee: A Political History Franklin, Tennessee Hillsboro Press 2000 336–343 9781577361251 In order to get their electors on the ballot, the Dixiecrats had to form a separate state organisation in Somerville, although three of the Dixiecrat electors were simultaneously on the Democratic slate.Guthrie; The Dixiecrat Movement of 1948 (Thesis). pp. 211-212 Polls SourceRatingAs ofChattanooga Daily TimesGallup George Only Four States Go to Dixiecrats Chattanooga Daily Times Chattanooga, Tennessee October 15, 1948 6-ALikely DOctober 15, 1948The Montgomery AdvertiserMoss Charles Tennessee The Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery, Alabama 16 October 24, 1948Tilt R flipOctober 24, 1948The Miami NewsMoss Charles October 25, 1948 Tennessee 8 The Miami News Miami, FloridaTossupOctober 25, 1948Mount Vernon ArgusTucker Ray Truman Whistling in a White House Graveyard, Says Tucker, Predicting It'll Be a Dewey Sweep Mount Vernon Argus Mount Vernon, New York November 1, 1948 8Lean DNovember 1, 1948Oakland TribuneGallup George Final Gallup Poll Shows Dewey Winning Election with Wide Electoral Vote Margin Oakland Tribune Oakland, California November 1, 1948 1–2Likely DNovember 1, 1948 Results 1948 United States presidential election in Tennesseehttps://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1948&off=0&elect=0&fips=47&f=0 1948 Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee October 31, 2017http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1948 The American Presidency Project — Election of 1948 October 31, 2017PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Harry S. Truman (inc.) 270,402 49.14% 11 States’ Rights Strom Thurmond 73,815 13.41% 1 Republican Thomas E. Dewey 202,914 36.87% 0 Progressive Henry A. Wallace 1,864 0.34% 0 Socialist Norman Thomas 1,288 0.23% 0 Totals 550,283 100.00% 12 Results by county 1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee by countyOur Campaigns https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=2693 TN US President, November 02, 1948 County Harry S. TrumanDemocratic Thomas E. DeweyRepublican Strom ThurmondStates’ Rights Henry A. WallaceProgressive Norman ThomasSocialist Margin Total votescast # % # % # % # % # % # % Anderson 5,915 49.97% 5,372 45.38% 433 3.66% 53 0.45% 64 0.54% 543 4.59% 11,837 Bedford 2,393 55.64% 771 17.93% 1,127 26.20% 4 0.09% 6 0.14% 1,266"ThurmonddDewey" In this county where Dewey ran third behind Truman and Thurmond, margin given is Truman vote minus Thurmond vote and percentage margin Truman percentage minus Thurmond percentage. 29.44% 4,301 Benton 1,757 63.02% 908 32.57% 116 4.16% 6 0.22% 1 0.04% 849 30.45% 2,788 Bledsoe 1,092 48.58% 1,103 49.07% 49 2.18% 4 0.18% 0 0.00% -11 -0.49% 2,248 Blount 3,141 32.91% 6,152 64.47% 214 2.24% 13 0.14% 23 0.24% -3,011 -31.55% 9,543 Bradley 2,036 39.52% 2,942 57.10% 164 3.18% 6 0.12% 4 0.08% -906 -17.59% 5,152 Campbell 2,267 42.61% 2,922 54.92% 87 1.64% 31 0.58% 13 0.24% -655 -12.31% 5,320 Cannon 1,408 66.20% 558 26.23% 141 6.63% 10 0.47% 10 0.47% 850 39.96% 2,127 Carroll 2,818 45.65% 2,651 42.95% 606 9.82% 52 0.84% 46 0.75% 167 2.71% 6,173 Carter 1,809 25.96% 4,943 70.94% 179 2.57% 13 0.19% 24 0.34% -3,134 -44.98% 6,968 Cheatham 2,731 88.58% 193 6.26% 150 4.87% 8 0.26% 1 0.03% 2,538 82.32% 3,083 Chester 980 50.52% 766 39.48% 193 9.95% 1 0.05% 0 0.00% 214 11.03% 1,940 Claiborne 2,068 44.13% 2,507 53.50% 66 1.41% 33 0.70% 12 0.26% -439 -9.37% 4,686 Clay 1,146 60.28% 703 36.98% 46 2.42% 5 0.26% 1 0.05% 443 23.30% 1,901 Cocke 939 20.35% 3,576 77.50% 72 1.56% 18 0.39% 9 0.20% -2,637 -57.15% 4,614 Coffee 2,041 56.68% 599 16.63% 933 25.91% 11 0.31% 17 0.47% 1,108"ThurmonddDewey" 30.77% 3,601 Crockett 1,415 53.60% 601 22.77% 615 23.30% 5 0.19% 4 0.15% 800"ThurmonddDewey" 30.30% 2,640 Cumberland 1,607 43.19% 1,988 53.43% 95 2.55% 9 0.24% 22 0.59% -381 -10.24% 3,721 Davidson 20,877 55.46% 8,410 22.34% 8,103 21.53% 169 0.45% 84 0.22% 12,467 33.12% 37,643 Decatur 1,565 51.82% 1,291 42.75% 156 5.17% 3 0.10% 5 0.17% 274 9.07% 3,020 DeKalb 2,412 54.67% 1,751 39.69% 249 5.64% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 661 14.98% 4,412 Dickson 2,337 74.31% 485 15.42% 315 10.02% 3 0.10% 5 0.16% 1,852 58.89% 3,145 Dyer 3,503 65.31% 989 18.44% 855 15.94% 7 0.13% 10 0.19% 2,514 46.87% 5,364 Fayette 226 12.66% 66 3.70% 1,488 83.36% 2 0.11% 3 0.17% -1,262"ThurmonddDewey" -70.70% 1,785 Fentress 962 36.52% 1,587 60.25% 46 1.75% 14 0.53% 25 0.95% -625 -23.73% 2,634 Franklin 2,948 66.08% 589 13.20% 892 20.00% 7 0.16% 25 0.56% 2,056"ThurmonddDewey" 46.09% 4,461 Gibson 3,917 65.60% 1,137 19.04% 905 15.16% 6 0.10% 6 0.10% 2,780 46.56% 5,971 Giles 3,676 75.45% 717 14.72% 443 9.09% 19 0.39% 17 0.35% 2,959 60.73% 4,872 Grainger 644 25.33% 1,824 71.75% 57 2.24% 8 0.31% 9 0.35% -1,180 -46.42% 2,542 Greene 3,282 41.68% 4,375 55.56% 154 1.96% 27 0.34% 37 0.47% -1,093 -13.88% 7,875 Grundy 2,009 78.02% 431 16.74% 113 4.39% 13 0.50% 9 0.35% 1,578 61.28% 2,575 Hamblen 1,552 39.46% 2,116 53.80% 228 5.80% 18 0.46% 19 0.48% -564 -14.34% 3,933 Hamilton 16,968 56.21% 10,434 34.56% 2,571 8.52% 150 0.50% 66 0.22% 6,534 21.64% 30,189 Hancock 416 20.15% 1,598 77.38% 38 1.84% 2 0.10% 11 0.53% -1,182 -57.24% 2,065 Hardeman 1,609 48.76% 317 9.61% 1,364 41.33% 3 0.09% 7 0.21% 245"ThurmonddDewey" 7.42% 3,300 Hardin 1,270 38.75% 1,779 54.29% 189 5.77% 28 0.85% 11 0.34% -509 -15.53% 3,277 Hawkins 2,019 34.70% 3,637 62.50% 117 2.01% 24 0.41% 22 0.38% -1,618 -27.81% 5,819 Haywood 1,050 49.32% 148 6.95% 931 43.73% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 119"ThurmonddDewey" 5.59% 2,129 Henderson 1,155 31.70% 2,278 62.53% 205 5.63% 5 0.14% 0 0.00% -1,123 -30.83% 3,643 Henry 3,292 76.99% 604 14.13% 372 8.70% 6 0.14% 2 0.05% 2,688 62.86% 4,276 Hickman 2,140 74.36% 478 16.61% 226 7.85% 25 0.87% 9 0.31% 1,662 57.75% 2,878 Houston 1,159 79.66% 202 13.88% 88 6.05% 1 0.07% 5 0.34% 957 65.77% 1,455 Humphreys 1,327 59.24% 355 15.85% 547 24.42% 5 0.22% 6 0.27% 780"ThurmonddDewey" 34.82% 2,240 Jackson 1,502 68.68% 536 24.51% 142 6.49% 5 0.23% 2 0.09% 966 44.17% 2,187 Jefferson 900 22.39% 2,979 74.12% 121 3.01% 9 0.22% 10 0.25% -2,079 -51.73% 4,019 Johnson 433 14.89% 2,413 82.98% 47 1.62% 6 0.21% 9 0.31% -1,980 -68.09% 2,908 Knox 15,946 40.68% 21,074 53.77% 1,822 4.65% 221 0.56% 133 0.34% -5,128 -13.08% 39,196 Lake 833 55.46% 179 11.92% 482 32.09% 5 0.33% 3 0.20% 351"ThurmonddDewey" 23.37% 1,502 Lauderdale 2,556 65.89% 298 7.68% 1,007 25.96% 7 0.18% 11 0.28% 1,549"ThurmonddDewey" 39.93% 3,879 Lawrence 4,854 53.43% 3,837 42.24% 373 4.11% 13 0.14% 7 0.08% 1,017 11.20% 9,084 Lewis 1,148 70.17% 381 23.29% 88 5.38% 14 0.86% 5 0.31% 767 46.88% 1,636 Lincoln 2,969 72.63% 361 8.83% 758 18.54% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 2,211"ThurmonddDewey" 54.09% 4,088 Loudon 1,673 37.05% 2,605 57.70% 200 4.43% 19 0.42% 18 0.40% -932 -20.64% 4,515 Macon 738 29.40% 1,708 68.05% 59 2.35% 3 0.12% 2 0.08% -970 -38.65% 2,510 Madison 4,722 52.48% 1,681 18.68% 2,586 28.74% 1 0.01% 7 0.08% 2,136"ThurmonddDewey" 23.74% 8,997 Marion 2,554 57.17% 1,738 38.91% 153 3.43% 16 0.36% 6 0.13% 816 18.27% 4,467 Marshall 3,059 71.22% 517 12.04% 691 16.09% 10 0.23% 18 0.42% 2,368"ThurmonddDewey" 55.13% 4,295 Maury 2,906 51.57% 895 15.88% 1,792 31.80% 20 0.35% 22 0.39% 1,114"ThurmonddDewey" 19.77% 5,635 McMinn 3,016 39.36% 4,432 57.84% 184 2.40% 14 0.18% 16 0.21% -1,416 -18.48% 7,662 McNairy 2,267 45.62% 2,390 48.10% 286 5.76% 16 0.32% 10 0.20% -123 -2.48% 4,969 Meigs 788 49.56% 748 47.04% 43 2.70% 8 0.50% 3 0.19% 40 2.52% 1,590 Monroe 3,553 47.08% 3,905 51.75% 73 0.97% 6 0.08% 9 0.12% -352 -4.66% 7,546 Montgomery 3,310 73.47% 646 14.34% 525 11.65% 13 0.29% 11 0.24% 2,664 59.13% 4,505 Moore 523 62.94% 102 12.27% 206 24.79% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 317"ThurmonddDewey" 38.15% 831 Morgan 1,500 48.62% 1,570 50.89% 10 0.32% 5 0.16% 0 0.00% -70 -2.27% 3,085 Obion 3,490 75.59% 642 13.91% 460 9.96% 9 0.19% 16 0.35% 2,848 61.69% 4,617 Overton 1,835 63.17% 917 31.57% 118 4.06% 23 0.79% 12 0.41% 918 31.60% 2,905 Perry 1,196 68.42% 459 26.26% 85 4.86% 6 0.34% 2 0.11% 737 42.16% 1,748 Pickett 566 39.39% 849 59.08% 19 1.32% 3 0.21% 0 0.00% -283 -19.69% 1,437 Polk 1,412 47.22% 1,529 51.14% 26 0.87% 19 0.64% 4 0.13% -117 -3.91% 2,990 Putnam 3,134 56.33% 1,879 33.77% 511 9.18% 26 0.47% 14 0.25% 1,255 22.56% 5,564 Rhea 1,897 45.70% 2,077 50.04% 159 3.83% 11 0.26% 7 0.17% -180 -4.34% 4,151 Roane 2,306 39.89% 3,236 55.98% 218 3.77% 15 0.26% 6 0.10% -930 -16.09% 5,781 Robertson 3,044 77.14% 376 9.53% 514 13.03% 6 0.15% 6 0.15% 2,530"ThurmonddDewey" 64.12% 3,946 Rutherford 4,151 68.30% 854 14.05% 1,017 16.73% 23 0.38% 33 0.54% 3,134"ThurmonddDewey" 51.56% 6,078 Scott 972 32.14% 2,016 66.67% 18 0.60% 12 0.40% 6 0.20% -1,044 -34.52% 3,024 Sequatchie 907 66.06% 420 30.59% 41 2.99% 3 0.22% 2 0.15% 487 35.47% 1,373 Sevier 840 13.99% 5,049 84.11% 70 1.17% 39 0.65% 5 0.08% -4,209 -70.11% 6,003 Shelby 23,854 36.60% 14,566 22.35% 26,396 40.50% 229 0.35% 131 0.20% -2,542"ThurmonddDewey" -3.90% 65,176 Smith 1,764 62.38% 773 27.33% 275 9.72% 9 0.32% 7 0.25% 991 35.04% 2,828 Stewart 1,962 81.38% 331 13.73% 115 4.77% 3 0.12% 0 0.00% 1,631 67.65% 2,411 Sullivan 7,626 50.44% 6,984 46.19% 472 3.12% 32 0.21% 6 0.04% 642 4.25% 15,120 Sumner 3,688 73.67% 793 15.84% 515 10.29% 10 0.20% 0 0.00% 2,895 57.83% 5,006 Tipton 3,066 65.50% 209 4.46% 1,394 29.78% 8 0.17% 4 0.09% 1,672"ThurmonddDewey" 35.72% 4,681 Trousdale 1,014 82.51% 104 8.46% 110 8.95% 1 0.08% 0 0.00% 904"ThurmonddDewey" 73.56% 1,229 Unicoi 844 29.50% 1,927 67.35% 81 2.83% 7 0.24% 2 0.07% -1,083 -37.85% 2,861 Union 513 23.79% 1,603 74.35% 19 0.88% 16 0.74% 5 0.23% -1,090 -50.56% 2,156 Van Buren 636 65.03% 298 30.47% 39 3.99% 4 0.41% 1 0.10% 338 34.56% 978 Warren 2,969 66.51% 807 18.08% 667 14.94% 21 0.47% 0 0.00% 2,162 48.43% 4,464 Washington 4,023 34.80% 7,056 61.04% 426 3.69% 34 0.29% 20 0.17% -3,033 -26.24% 11,559 Wayne 820 28.65% 1,957 68.38% 76 2.66% 5 0.17% 4 0.14% -1,137 -39.73% 2,862 Weakley 3,099 64.02% 1,310 27.06% 418 8.63% 11 0.23% 3 0.06% 1,789 36.96% 4,841 White 1,719 64.09% 635 23.68% 312 11.63% 11 0.41% 5 0.19% 1,084 40.42% 2,682 Williamson 2,294 59.41% 556 14.40% 983 25.46% 16 0.41% 12 0.31% 1,311"ThurmonddDewey" 33.95% 3,861 Wilson 3,133 66.67% 854 18.17% 685 14.58% 12 0.26% 15 0.32% 2,279 48.50% 4,699Totals270,40249.14%202,91436.87%73,81513.41%1,8640.34%1,2880.23%67,48812.26%550,283 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Carroll Counties that flipped from Democratic to Dixiecrat Shelby Fayette Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican McMinn Polk Analysis Amidst a nationwide upset victory, Truman carried Tennessee more comfortably than expected, defeating Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey by 12.26 percentage points and Thurmond by 35.73 percentage points; Thurmond won only 14% of white voters in the state.Black Black 1992 147 He did, however, make significant inroads into traditional Democratic support in the Black Belt of West Tennessee, where he received over eighty percent in Fayette County, and also did well in prosperous urban precincts in Nashville. Truman received eleven of Tennessee's twelve electoral votes, with the other cast in favor of Thurmond by elector Preston Parks, who was also on the Dixiecrat slate.TRUMAN'S MARGIN IS CUT BY ONE VOTE; An Elector in Tennessee Stays With Thurmond Although President Won State https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/12/14/84542940.html?zoom=15.780000000000001 2024-08-19 The New York Times en 0362-4331 2020 11 As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Hamilton County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 See also United States presidential elections in Tennessee 1948 United States Senate election in Tennessee 1948 Tennessee gubernatorial election Notes References Works cited Black Earl Earl Black (political scientist) Black Merle Merle Black The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected Harvard University Press 1992 https://archive.org/details/vitalsouthhowpre0000blac 0674941306 North Carolina 1948 Category:1948 Tennessee elections