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How Did Henry A Wallace A Controversial Figure In American History

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Henry A. Wallace is a controversial figure in U.S. history; the man who almost became the 33rd President of the United States. Part of this controversy has to do with the 1944 vice presidential elections that Wallace lost, and which preceded some of the most significant and debated moments in U.S. and world history, including the dropping of the atomic bombs, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. The other part of this controversy involves Harry Truman, who won the elections and became president, and his contributions to these decisions and overall legacy. Indeed, Henry A. Wallace was a controversial leader who would have significantly changed the course of history, particularly the Cold War, if he had been nominated vice president in 1944, and …show more content…

He was the third Henry Wallace in his family lineage (Hatfield). His paternal grandfather and father had a lot of influence on his early and midlife, urging him to follow in their footsteps and pursue academics. Along with being raised in an academic environment, Wallace was further encouraged to try agriculture, and he eventually became a farmer. His extensive knowledge in agriculture saw him take over as the editor of the family’s famous magazine referred to as Wallace’s Farmer (Hatfield). In his early twenties, Wallace joined Iowa State University and pursued a degree in plant genetics and crossbreeding (Hatfield). While in college, Wallace discovered a new strain of corn that was more resistant to diseases when compared to other strains. He patented this corn strain and used it to establish a successful business, which he named Hi-Bred (Hatfield). His achievements in this business, as well as the family magazine, significantly contributed to his popularity and rise to …show more content…

Senator Claude Pepper of Florida stood out as one of the most liberal members of the democrat party, and made an attempt to access the podium and put Wallace’s name in the nominations. This move was seen as one that would have led to a stampede of votes in favor of Wallace (Greenfield). Worried of Wallace’s imminent win, Philadelphia mayor, David Lawrence who had convened the gathering called for a vote to adjourn the election to another day (Greenfield). The voting was postponed to the next day, and things worked against Wallace. Greenfield states that conspiracies organized by the higher figures at the Democratic Party saw Wallace lose the vice president seat to Harry S. Truman who was considered to be a more neutral

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