1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee explained

See main article: 1948 United States presidential election.

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 12^[2] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee was divided according to political loyalties established in that war. Unionist regions covering almost all of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five Western Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne^[3] voted Republican — generally by landslide margins — as they saw the Democratic Party as the "war party" who had forced them into a war they did not wish to fight.^[4] Contrariwise, the rest of Middle and West Tennessee who had supported and driven the state's secession was equally fiercely Democratic as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.^[5] After the disfranchisement of the state's African-American population by a poll tax was largely complete in the 1890s,^[6] the Democratic Party was certain of winning statewide elections if united,^[7] although unlike the Deep South Republicans would almost always gain thirty to forty percent of the statewide vote from mountain and Highland Rim support.

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.^[8] 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,^[9] whilst 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,^[10] and in 1928 anti-Catholicism against Democratic nominee Al Smith gave this powerfully fundamentalist state to Herbert Hoover.^[11]

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 East Tennessee and half a dozen Unionist counties in the middle and west of the state.^[12] State politics during the 1930s and 1940s was dominated by Edward Hull “Boss” Crump, whose Memphis political machine would consistently provide decisive votes in statewide Democratic primaries aided by cross-party voting by Republicans in eastern mountain counties.^[12] Although Tennessee's delegates at the 1948 Democratic National Convention were all opposed to incumbent President Harry S. Truman after his proposal for black civil rights titled To Secure These Rights, the presence of potentially formidable Republican opposition in East Tennessee and the Highland Rim meant that Crump could not even keep his own machine in line.^[13] Governor McCord and even Crump's long-time ally Senator Kenneth D. McKellar both broke with him over supporting States Rights Democratic nominees Strom Thurmond and Fielding L. Wright, with McCord losing the Democratic nomination to Crump foe Gordon Browning.^[14] In order to get their electors on the ballot the Dixiecrats had to form a separate state organisation in Somerville,^[13] although three of the Dixiecrat electors were simultaneously on the slate for Truman and Kentucky Senator Alben W. Barkley.^[15] 14% of white voters supported Thurmond.

Polls

Source	Rating	As of
Chattanooga Daily Times[16]		October 15, 1948
The Montgomery Advertiser[17]		October 24, 1948
The Miami News[18]		October 25, 1948
Mount Vernon Argus[19]		November 1, 1948
Oakland Tribune[20]		November 1, 1948

Results

1948 United States presidential election in Tennessee[21] [22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral 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 county[23]
County	Harry S. Truman Democratic		Thomas Edmund Dewey Republican		James Strom Thurmond States’ Rights		Henry Agard Wallace Progressive		Norman Mattoon Thomas Socialist		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%		data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%
	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		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		30.77%		3,601
	Crockett		1,415		53.60%		601		22.77%		615		23.30%		5		0.19%		4		0.15%		800		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		-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		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		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		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		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		23.37%		1,502
	Lauderdale		2,556		65.89%		298		7.68%		1,007		25.96%		7		0.18%		11		0.28%		1,549		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		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		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		55.13%		4,295
	Maury		2,906		51.57%		895		15.88%		1,792		31.80%		20		0.35%		22		0.39%		1,114		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		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		64.12%		3,946
	Rutherford		4,151		68.30%		854		14.05%		1,017		16.73%		23		0.38%		33		0.54%		3,134		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		-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		35.72%		4,681
	Trousdale		1,014		82.51%		104		8.46%		110		8.95%		1		0.08%		0		0.00%		904		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		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%		4,699
Totals	270,402	49.14%	202,914	36.87%	73,815	13.41%	1,864	0.34%	1,288	0.23%	67,488	12.26%	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

Truman carried Tennessee more comfortably than expected, defeating Republican nominees New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and California Governor Earl Warren by 12.26 percentage points and Thurmond by 35.73 percentage points. Thurmond 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 Preston Parks of Somerville, TN, who was also on the Dixiecrat slate.^{[15] [24]}, this is the last election in which Hamilton County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.^[25]

See also

• United States presidential elections in Tennessee

Works cited

• Book: Black . Earl . Earl Black (political scientist) . Black . Merle . Merle Black . The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected . . 1992 . 0674941306.

Notes and References

1. Web site: United States Presidential election of 1948 — Encyclopædia Britannica. October 31, 2017.
2. Web site: 1948 Election for the Forty-First Term (1949-53). October 31, 2017.
3. Wright. John K.. Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps. Geographical Review. 22. 4. October 1932. 666–672. 10.2307/208821 . 208821 . 1932GeoRv..22..666W .
4. [Valdimer Orlando Key|Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando]
5. Book: Lyons. William. Scheb (II). John M.. Stair. Billy. Government and Politics in Tennessee. 2001 . 183–184. Univ. of Tennessee Press . 1572331410.
6. [Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips, Kevin P.]
7. Grantham. Dewey W.. Tennessee and Twentieth-Century American Politics'. Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 54. 3. Fall 1995. 210–229.
8. Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 287
9. Book: Langsdon, Phillip. Tennessee: A Political History. Franklin, Tennessee. Hillsboro Press. 2000. 287–295.
10. 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 .
11. Book: 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.
12. Book: Majors, William R.. Change and continuity: Tennessee politics since the Civil War. 72. 9780865542099. 1986. Mercer University Press .
13. Guthrie. Paul Daniel. The Dixiecrat Movement of 1948. 181–182. Bowling Green State University. 144207. 1955.
14. Book: Langsdon, Phillip Royal. Tennessee: A Political History. Franklin, Tennessee. Hillsboro Press. 2000. 336–343. 9781577361251.
15. Guthrie; The Dixiecrat Movement of 1948 (Thesis). pp. 211-212
16. News: Gallup. George. Only Four States Go to Dixiecrats. Chattanooga Daily Times. Chattanooga, Tennessee. October 15, 1948. 6-A.
17. News: Moss. Charles. Tennessee. The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. 16. October 24, 1948.
18. News: Moss. Charles. October 25, 1948. Tennessee. 8. The Miami News. Miami, Florida.
19. News: Tucker. 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. 8.
20. News: Gallup. George. Final Gallup Poll Shows Dewey Winning Election with Wide Electoral Vote Margin. Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. November 1, 1948. 1–2.
21. Web site: 1948 Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee. October 31, 2017.
22. Web site: The American Presidency Project — Election of 1948. October 31, 2017.
23. Web site: Our Campaigns. TN US President, November 02, 1948.
24. News: TRUMAN'S MARGIN IS CUT BY ONE VOTE; An Elector in Tennessee Stays With Thurmond Although President Won State . 2024-08-19 . The New York Times . en . 0362-4331.
25. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016