Harry Truman at the National Plowing Matches: Iowa Time Machine September 18, 1948

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 18, 1948, President Harry Truman gave a speech praising Iowa’s farmers at the National Plowing Matches in Dexter, Iowa. Part of a ‘whistle-stop’ campaign across Iowa as Truman sought election, the President spoke about how “the whole world has reason to be everlastingly grateful to the farmers of the United States.

In a hotly contested election following the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the organizers of the National Plowing Matches initially sought Truman’s opponent, Thomas Dewey, to speak at the event. When Dewey declined, Truman agreed to talk at Dexter while he made his way across Iowa on the Rock Island Line in mid-September.

As the Dexter band played “The Iowa Corn Song,” the President and his party loaded into a dozen convertibles at the Dexter train station. With an Iowa Highway Patrol escort, the motorcade made its way out to the Weesner farm, where between 75,000 and 100,000 people eagerly awaited Truman’s arrival. Upon arrival, Truman climbed onto a stage constructed by area World War II veterans. He spoke to the gathered crowd and Iowans across the state, thanks to WHO Radio's broadcast.

Truman’s well-received speech focused on the need to continue price supports and implored farmers to remember the hard times of the past. In the election to follow, Truman narrowly carried the day to continue to serve as President of the United States despite the Chicago Tribune initially proclaiming, “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.” #Iowa #OTD #History #Presidents #Plowing