Amity Shlaes, James Madison, and David Willkie talked about the life and career of 1940 Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie (1882-1944) from the Rush County Historical Society. Wendell Willkie lived in Rushville, Indiana, and ran his presidential campaign from there. The lawyer and utilities executive had never before run for office. After loosing to President Franklin Roosevelt, he then became his informal representative to Britain, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, and China. In 1943 he wrote One World, the story of his travels. Video clips included speeches and campaign ads. There was an August 1940 audio clip of President Roosevelt. Remarks by Senator Lugar were pre-recorded. The historians responded to telephone calls and electronic communications.
“The Contenders: They Lost the Election But Changed Political History” is a C-SPAN series of live programs about 14 presidential candidates before 1996 who lost the election but who had a lasting effect on U.S. politics.