Wendell Lewis Willkie was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for president. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican field's only interventionist: although the U.S. remained neutral prior to Pearl Harbor, he favored greater U.S. involvement in World War II to support Britain and other Allies. His Democratic opponent, incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt, won the 1940 election with about 55% of the popular vote and took the electoral college vote by a wide margin.
Willkie in 1940
Willkie (right) and David E. Lilienthal
Willkie testifying before a congressional committee, 1939
Willkie on the cover of Time magazine, July 31, 1939
1940 Republican National Convention
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president.
Nominees Willkie and McNary
Image: Wendell Willkie
Corporate Lawyer Wendell Willkie of Indiana
Manhattan D.A. Thomas E. Dewey of New York