Henry A. Wallace

Henry A. Wallace
Name	Henry A. Wallace
Caption	Wallace c. 1940
Office	33rd Vice President of the United States
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Term start	January 20, 1941
Term end	January 20, 1945
Predecessor	John Nance Garner
Successor	Harry S. Truman
Office1	11th United States Secretary of Agriculture
President1	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Term start1	March 4, 1933
Term end1	September 4, 1940
Predecessor1	Arthur M. Hyde
Successor1	Claude R. Wickard
Office2	10th United States Secretary of Commerce
President2	Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman
Term start2	March 2, 1945
Term end2	September 20, 1946
Predecessor2	Jesse H. Jones
Successor2	W. Averell Harriman
Birth date	7 October 1888
Birth place	Orient, Iowa
Death date	18 November 1965
Death place	Danbury, Connecticut
Party	Democratic (1933–1946), Progressive (1946–1948)
Spouse	Ilo Browne, 1914
Children	3, including Henry Browne Wallace
Education	Iowa State University (BS)

Henry A. Wallace was an American politician, agricultural scientist, and journalist who served as the 33rd Vice President of the United States under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1941 to 1945. A leading figure in the New Deal coalition, he previously served as United States Secretary of Agriculture and later as United States Secretary of Commerce. Wallace was a prolific writer and plant breeder whose progressive political views, particularly on foreign policy and domestic reform, eventually placed him at odds with the mainstream of the Democratic Party, leading to his third-party presidential campaign in 1948.

Early life and education

Henry Agard Wallace was born on October 7, 1888, on a farm near Orient, Iowa. His father, Henry Cantwell Wallace, served as United States Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. The younger Wallace attended Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), where he studied animal husbandry and genetics, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1910. During his youth, he was deeply influenced by the Populist and Progressive Era movements, as well as by his family's involvement with the influential farm journal Wallaces' Farmer. His early intellectual pursuits also included an interest in statistics and Mesoamerican civilizations.

Agricultural career

Before entering politics, Wallace established himself as a pioneering agricultural scientist and businessman. He conducted extensive experiments in plant breeding, developing several successful hybrid corn varieties that significantly increased crop yields. In 1926, he co-founded the Hi-Bred Corn Company, which later became the agricultural giant Pioneer Hi-Bred. As an editor and writer for Wallaces' Farmer, he advocated for scientific farming methods and economic policies to aid struggling Midwestern farmers during the agricultural depression of the 1920s. His expertise and writings brought him to the attention of leading New Deal planners.

Political career

Wallace's political career began in earnest when President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him United States Secretary of Agriculture in 1933. In this role, he was a principal architect of major New Deal farm programs, including the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 and the creation of the Farm Security Administration. His policies aimed to raise farm prices through production controls and government subsidies, a controversial approach that faced legal challenges, including the Supreme Court case United States v. Butler. Wallace's tenure was marked by efforts to combat rural poverty and soil erosion, exemplified by the work of the Soil Conservation Service.

Vice presidency (1941–1945)

Chosen by Roosevelt as his running mate for the 1940 election, Wallace served as Vice President during most of World War II. He chaired the Board of Economic Warfare and the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board, key agencies in the war effort. Wallace became a prominent liberal voice within the administration, delivering famous speeches like "The Century of the Common Man" which outlined a vision for a post-war world of global cooperation and an end to colonialism. His advocacy for continued close relations with the Soviet Union and aggressive domestic reform put him at odds with more conservative Democratic leaders, leading to his replacement on the ticket by Harry S. Truman at the 1944 Democratic National Convention.

Post-vice presidency and 1948 presidential campaign

After the vice presidency, Roosevelt appointed Wallace as United States Secretary of Commerce, a post he retained briefly under President Truman. He was forced to resign in September 1946 after publicly criticizing Truman's increasingly hardline Cold War foreign policy, particularly toward the Soviet Union. In 1948, Wallace ran for president as the nominee of the new Progressive Party. His platform called for an end to the Cold War, universal government health insurance, civil rights legislation, and the nationalization of certain industries. The campaign was heavily criticized for its uncritical view of the Soviet Union and was infiltrated by members of the Communist Party USA. Wallace received only 2.4% of the popular vote, carrying no states.

Later life and death

Following his defeat, Wallace largely retired from electoral politics and returned to agricultural research. He moved to South Salem, New York, where he dedicated himself to experimenting with novel crops like strawberries, chickens, and African violets. He wrote extensively on agriculture, spirituality, and history. In his final years, he publicly expressed regret for some of his earlier views on the Soviet Union, particularly in light of events like the Berlin Blockade and the Korean War. Wallace died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Danbury, Connecticut, on November 18, 1965. His legacy is that of a complex figure whose visionary ideas on agriculture and social justice were often overshadowed by the political controversies of his time.

Category:1888 births Category:1965 deaths Category:Vice Presidents of the United States Category:United States Secretaries of Agriculture Category:United States Secretaries of Commerce Category:Progressive Party (United States, 1948) nominees for President of the United States