Description:

Harry Truman
n.p., August 12, 1956
Dewey Defeats Truman! Large Truman Signed Photo, Most Iconic Newspaper Error of All Time, Attractively Framed
Photograph

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972). Photograph Signed, "To Courteney Darber with happy memories! 8/12/56 Harry S. Truman", 13" x 10.5", no place, August 12, 1956. Black and white photographic print captures Truman gleefully holding up the Chicago Daily Tribune, which erroneously announced his electoral defeat, handsomely matted and framed to an overall size of 21.5" x 19". A bit of unobtrusive creasing to photograph. In near fine condition.

During the 1930s and 1940s, editor and publisher Robert "Bertie" McCormick used the Chicago Daily Tribune's editorial pages to promote his conservative agenda. The Tuesday, November 2, 1948 headline was "Go to the Polls Today! Landslide for Dewey is Expected Democrats Cling to Wisp of Hope." Most polls in the presidential campaign of 1948 showed the Republican candidate, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, with such a commanding lead over Truman that some pollsters even quit polling voters weeks before the election, missing out on Truman's last-minute surge in popularity. On election night, Truman, aided by the Secret Service, sneaked away from reporters covering him in Kansas City and made his way to nearby Excelsior Springs, Missouri, a small resort town. There, he took a room in the local hotel, had a Turkish bath, and went to sleep. As East coast returns came in, Dewey took an early lead, winning all the northeast states from Maryland to Maine, except for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Then Truman started to pull ahead. However, some radio commentators, such as H.V. Kaltenborn of CBS, confidently predicted that once the "late returns" came in, Dewey would overcome Truman's lead and win.

At midnight, Truman awoke and turned on the radio in his room; he heard Kaltenborn announce that, while Truman was still ahead in the popular vote, he couldn't possibly win. For the rest of his life, Truman would gleefully mimic Kaltenborn's voice predicting his defeat throughout that election night. Around 4:00 a.m., Truman awoke again, heard on the radio that his lead was nearly two million votes, and decided to ride back to Kansas City, and from there, take the train back to Washington, D.C. The Tribune had endorsed Dewey and the entire republican slate. In fact, 85% of the nation's daily newspapers supported the New York Governor. Returns were coming in slowly and the Tribune staff was running out of time before the printing deadline. The lead story in the Tribune by reporter Arthur Sears Henning began: "Dewey and Warren won a sweeping victory in the presidential election yesterday."

"DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" is the most famous newspaper error of all time, mistakenly declaring Harry S. Truman the loser of the 1948 presidential election. An early deadline compelled the editors of the Chicago Daily Tribune to go to press before the polls had closed in many states. It so quickly rushed its printing that some of the type on the second page is even printed upside down. Most of the issues were taken off the stands when the Tribune realized its error, and only 2,000 were estimated to have reached private hands.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 21.5" x 19"
  • Medium: Photograph

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