Advertisement

Wendell Lewis Willkie

Advertisement

Wendell Lewis Willkie Veteran Famous memorial

Birth
Elwood, Madison County, Indiana, USA
Death
8 Oct 1944 (aged 52)
New York, New York County, New York, USA
Burial
Rushville, Rush County, Indiana, USA GPS-Latitude: 39.6049857, Longitude: -85.433819
Plot
Section 9
Memorial ID
View Source

U.S. Presidential Candidate, Author. Both his father and mother were successful attorneys. He attained his law degree from Indiana University and worked for his family's practice. He served with the United States Army during World War I and upon his return home, he was a legal representative with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. After moving to New York, Willkie made a name for himself through his work with a prestigious electric utility company. Additionally, his outspokenness against Franklin D. Roosevelt and the "New Deal" garnered national attention leading to a movement to nominate him as a presidential candidate for the 1940 election. Willkie defeated fellow Republican Thomas E. Dewey to secure the nomination but lost in a landslide to President Roosevelt during the general election. He would be appointed by Roosevelt to serve as an international diplomat. In 1942, he authored the bestselling book "One World" which defined a post World War II world of international peace and freedom. Willkie himself would not live to see the end of the war. After being in apparent ill health for some time (it is believed he suffered multiple heart attacks over several months), he suffered a fatal heart attack while campaigning in 1944.

U.S. Presidential Candidate, Author. Both his father and mother were successful attorneys. He attained his law degree from Indiana University and worked for his family's practice. He served with the United States Army during World War I and upon his return home, he was a legal representative with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. After moving to New York, Willkie made a name for himself through his work with a prestigious electric utility company. Additionally, his outspokenness against Franklin D. Roosevelt and the "New Deal" garnered national attention leading to a movement to nominate him as a presidential candidate for the 1940 election. Willkie defeated fellow Republican Thomas E. Dewey to secure the nomination but lost in a landslide to President Roosevelt during the general election. He would be appointed by Roosevelt to serve as an international diplomat. In 1942, he authored the bestselling book "One World" which defined a post World War II world of international peace and freedom. Willkie himself would not live to see the end of the war. After being in apparent ill health for some time (it is believed he suffered multiple heart attacks over several months), he suffered a fatal heart attack while campaigning in 1944.

Bio by: C.S.



Advertisement

Advertisement

How famous was Wendell Lewis Willkie ?

Current rating: 4.11702 out of 5 stars

94 votes

Sign-in to cast your vote.

  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Apr 25, 1998
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1104/wendell_lewis-willkie: accessed ), memorial page for Wendell Lewis Willkie (18 Feb 1892–8 Oct 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1104, citing East Hill Cemetery, Rushville, Rush County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.