For all the intemperate rhetoric about how dangerous Wallace was to the American way of life, it is striking how very common a specific type of American middle class man he actually was: An avid, if ungraceful tennis player; a middle aged man who marveled at the health benefits of such mundane choices as forswearing the elevator for stairs. It is easy to imagine a David Brooks “bobo” profile of Wallace in the late 1990s, albeit with a quaint pastoral twist. Wallace’s biggest political sin may have been being born too early. Perhaps the changing times have afforded Wallace a certain degree of recognition that previously escaped him: Though he never got his own presidential library, in 2003 the Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library opened the newly constructed Henry A. Wallace Visitor, Education, and Conference Center.
Table of Contents
1. Henry Wallace
Objectives and Topics
This historical analysis examines the life and political career of Henry A. Wallace, focusing on his complex relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his trajectory from a progressive Midwestern agricultural leader to a controversial figure in the early Cold War era.
- The influence of agricultural roots and the "book farming" philosophy on Wallace's early ideology.
- The development of the contentious political rivalry between Wallace and Herbert Hoover.
- Wallace’s tenure as Secretary of Agriculture and his pivotal role in New Deal policies.
- The impact of Wallace’s mystical associations and his personal correspondence with Nicholas Roerich.
- The political decline of Wallace, including his 1948 third-party presidential bid and his fallout with the Democratic establishment.
Excerpt from the Book
Henry Wallace
It had been Franklin D. Roosevelt, America’s greatest president and savior, the personal friend and mentor of HAW, who in 1939 pledged his presidential artifacts and a plot of land at Hyde Park, New York to be used to build a presidential library open to the public. 11 years later, FDR’s successor announced that he, too, would provide for such a repository of his papers and speeches. Of course, in the successor’s case there would be no grand family estate on which to erect his The Presidential Library would be in Ames, on the campus of Iowa State College, his alma matter, a campus that had grown, like its most distinguished alum, from an obscure agricultural school to a liberal arts institution that could be favorably compared to most of the state schools in the Midwest. It may have lacked the distinction of the University of Illinois, but distinguished alumni must count for something- Iowa State had Carrie Chapman Catt, the founder of the League of Women Voters; Henry C. Wallace, the great Secretary of Agriculture who had been hounded to death by the most pernicious and discredited technocrat in the history of American government; George Washington Carver, the great botanist who was Iowa State’s first black student… and, of course, the Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President, and 33rd President of the United States who had redeemed his father and secured for all time the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the sanctity of the individual soul, Henry Aagard Wallace… .
Of course, several cruel twists of fate ensured that everything past the first two sentences in the preceding paragraph would be nothing more than the romantic fantasy of a man who nearly became immortal. In 1950, it was Truman, the usurper of Wallace’s heir-apparency whose approval rating had been north of 50% for the last time nearly a year earlier, who had announced that he would imitate his predecessor and establish a public repository of his documents and effects. Five years later, Congress granted federal recognition and funding for the purpose of presidential libraries, and every president since Hoover, the oldest living president at the time the law was enacted, no matter how hated or undistinguished, has some manner of edifice dedicated to him.
Summary of Chapters
1. Henry Wallace: This biographical overview traces Henry A. Wallace's early life in Iowa, his formative years in agriculture, his rise as a progressive thinker, his tenure in the Roosevelt administration, his complex relationship with mystical influences, and his eventual political exile after his failed 1948 presidential campaign.
Keywords
Henry A. Wallace, Franklin D. Roosevelt, New Deal, Agriculture, Nicholas Roerich, Cold War, Progressive Party, Midwestern Politics, Secretary of Agriculture, Harry Truman, Economic Defense Board, Common Man, 1948 Election, Herbert Hoover, Agrarianism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
This paper focuses on the life and career of Henry A. Wallace, exploring his evolution from an agricultural scientist and editor to a powerful political figure in the New Deal era and eventually a marginalized third-party candidate.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The central themes include the development of American agricultural policy, the shifting landscape of 20th-century American politics, the influence of personal beliefs and mentors on public policy, and the ideological conflicts within the Democratic Party during and after World War II.
What is the primary goal of the analysis?
The goal is to provide a comprehensive account of Wallace's public life, contextualizing his successes as a progressive reformer and the subsequent political setbacks caused by his personal eccentricities and shifting alliances.
Which scientific methods are referenced in the context of the work?
The text highlights Wallace’s background in agricultural science, his pioneering efforts in hybrid corn production, and his application of statistics and economics to address agricultural price fluctuations.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The text covers his family background, his time as Secretary of Agriculture, his role in the Roosevelt cabinet, his controversial mission to Asia, his fallout with the Democratic party, and his final political campaign in 1948.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Henry A. Wallace, New Deal, agricultural reform, Progressive Party, the 1948 presidential campaign, and geopolitical tension in the early post-war era.
How did the relationship with Nicholas Roerich affect Wallace’s political career?
Wallace’s correspondence with Roerich and his efforts to promote Roerich’s expeditions caused professional embarrassment and internal strife within the Department of Agriculture, ultimately being used by his political opponents to question his judgment and stability.
Why was Wallace removed from the ticket in 1944?
Democratic party leaders viewed Wallace as a political liability due to his outspoken liberalism, his controversial Asian tour, and internal party pressure to move toward a more moderate candidate, leading to the selection of Harry Truman instead.
What was the significance of the "Ever-Normal Granary"?
It was one of Wallace's signature accomplishments as Secretary of Agriculture, intended to stabilize farm prices and protect the food supply by storing grain surpluses.
How did Wallace's perspective on the Cold War differ from the administration's?
Wallace advocated for cooperation and friendly competition with the Soviet Union, explicitly warning against the risks of a third world war, which directly clashed with the increasingly hardline stance of the Truman administration.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Mark Schauer (Autor:in), 2008, Vice President Henry A. Wallace, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/230276
