Frank Gannett was the owner of a nationwide newspaper chain. He had purchased his first newspaper in 1906 at age 30 and gradually added other newspapers. Owning a chain made it possible to share news in his network, which enhanced reporting. Gannett also became director of the Associated Press, which was already telegraphing news stories to papers around the nation.

Gannett was openly hostile to President Roosevelt. He played a major role in keeping the "court packing" issue alive in the newspapers during FDR's second term. The opening salvo of 1939 came during a debate on the freedom of the American press with Harold Ickes on 1/12/1939. Ickes argued that the press was too allied with financial institutions and business. Gannett argued that it was free because it was not under government control [NYT 1/13/1939]. Although it was a single debate, the two men would not leave the issue alone. Ickes later said that Gannett's editorializing was making its way into news stories [NYT 1/30/1939]. Gannett issued a long rebuttal in which he said that Ickes was deliberately misleading the public [NYT 2/7/1939]. The disagreement between the two continued into the spring of 1939.

During these weeks, Gannett was part of a group of NY Republicans who wanted President Hoover to run again. As Dewey's name was beginning to be mentioned more and more, the Hoover partisans were not impressed with Dewey's resume [NYT 2/27/1939].

Gannett Tests the Presidential Waters

In the spring of 1939, Gannett gave an address to the National Republican Club. He said that FDR was heading "the country toward bankruptcy" with debt and that his economic policies were so bad for everyone that the nation should demand his resignation [NYT 4/2/1939]. Two months later, Gannett was at it again. He issued a statement in which he said that FDR "has proved a failure" and "the sooner he resigns, the better" [NYT 6/19/1939]. Soon thereafter, Gannett was chosen as chairman of a group named the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government, and he used that position to issue more statements criticizing FDR's domestic policies [NYT 7/15/1939].

As the vitriol between Gannett and the administration grew more heated, it became personal. The National Labor Relations Board ordered the Gannett newspapers to state why four reporters were removed from the editorial boards of the chain, but the Gannett chain filed a petition with a DC court to review the case [NYT 7/27/1939].

The first mention of Gannett as a presidential contender came on 8/4/1939. In a review of Republican Party leaders in NY, the Dewey campaign stated that they would have liked to have Thomas Broderick on their team, but that he was supporting Gannett [NYT 8/5/1939].

Gannett began a round of speeches around the nation to test the waters. In a speech to the Young Republican National Convention, Gannett laid out "a constructive program" that would lay the ground work for repeal of the New Deal [NYT 8/26/1939]. In a speech to the WCTU, Gannett reminded them that the American Legion was opposed to US entry into World War II and that it was a Christian duty to keep out of that war [NYT 9/30/1939]. He then sent a message to Congress that outlined FDR's "unrepealed executive powers shockingly inconsistent with peace time needs in a democracy" [NYT 10/2/1939].

In the meantime, Dewey was edging closer to making his announcement. By the fall, he hesitated because he wanted to have the full support of NY at the convention. With Gannett still making campaign appearances, Broderick and Syracuse Mayor Rolland Marvin were likely to swing upstate delegates to him [NYT 11/23/1939].

In a surprising move, US Rep. Hamilton Fish announced that if no Republican contender would step up and make US neutrality a central issue, he would enter the race [NYT 11/28/1939]. Upon hearing this, Gannett said that he was giving "careful consideration" to entering the race and being the candidate that Fish was calling for [NYT 11/28/1939]. Gannett traveled to San Francisco, where he held a private conference with Hoover. They discussed foreign policy (particularly the USSR's invasion of Finland) and domestic policy. While it was not stated at the time, Hoover must have let Gannett know that he would not be a candidate in 1940 [NYT 12/2/1939]. Addressing the Flatbush Republican Club in Brooklyn, Gannett refined his seven-point plan to place keeping out the WW2 at the top [NYT 12/10/1939].

Gannett the Candidate

Gannett formally entered the race on 1/16/1940. In a speech at Rochester, he pledged to end the New Deal. Republican politicians who came out to support him included US Rep. James W. Wadsworth and some local politicians whose needs had been ignored at the 1939 NY Republican state convention. Gannett's team predicted he would win 30 delegates from NY and 50 from other states on the first ballot [NYT 1/17/1940].

Gannett's campaign suffered a major setback just two days later when US Senator Borah died. Borah had already promised to campaign for Gannett. While Borah continued to be controversial even in Republican circles, Gannett was hoping that he could swing support his way in the delegate selection process around the nation [NYT 1/20/1940]. Wadsworth stepped in to lead Gannett's national campaign [NYT 1/25/1940].

As the election year dawned, several of the second tier Republican contenders agreed to support uninstructed delegates for the national convention. Party leaders in several western states supported the move, which kept the party's options open. Gannett hoped that a deadlocked convention would look to the second tier candidates for compromise candidates. Dewey's campaign rejected this plan and decided to enter primaries against them [NYT 1/29/1940].

In an effort to maintain as good relations as possible, the Dewey campaign worked out a deal for the NY at large delegates. The state executive committee approved the arrangement that would include four Dewey delegates, one Gannett delegate, and three uncommitted. It was a bold move, as Dewey had the votes available to force through a solid slate of his own delegates [NYT 2/3/1940].

Gannett became the first presidential candidate to campaign by plane. His campaign set up a series of seven major addresses, beginning at St. Petersburg FL on 2/23 [NYT 2/15/1940]. The trip covered 25,000 miles and took 13 days, first through the South and then to other regions of the nation [NYT 2/19/1940]. Gannett promised Republicans in Atlanta that he would revitalize industry and stop the movement towards totalitariansim in the USA [NYT 2/25/1940]. Gannett ended his tour at Miami on 3/9, where he decried a third FDR term [NYT 3/10/1940], but the next day he continued his plane trip and addressed leading Republicans in Massachusetts [NYT 3/11/1940].

While Gannett's campaign was innovative in the use of air travel, it was not reaching the hearts of the nation's Republicans. A Gallop poll showed that Gannett remained at 1% while Dewey led Vandenberg 32-11% [NYT 3/24/1940]. Delegate selection continued. In the New York primary, two Gannett delegates won the only contested races [NYT 4/3/1940], and Maine appointed a slate of unpledged delegates [NYT 4/5/1940]. Elsewhere, his campaign did not gain traction. He did not openly contest any primary, and in the two states where his write-in votes were tabulated, he won 7 in PA and 31 in NJ. Undaunted, Gannett told a reporter that he was gaining every day and would win the Florida delegates. At that time, he had campaigned in 42 states [NYT 5/10/1940].

Gannett was unsuccessful in winning the Republican nomination. His campaign set up its headquarters in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and rented rooms in the Harvard Club for his staff [NYT 6/16/1940]. As rumors spread that some Gannett delegates in NY were considering joining the Willkie bandwagon on the second ballot, Wadsworth placed Gannett in nomination [NYT 6/27/1940]. He won 33 votes on the first ballot, placing 8th. After his support slipped slightly to 30 on the second ballot, he released his delegates on the third ballot, and they abandoned him thereafter: he was down to 11 on the third ballot, 4 on the fourth ballot, and 1 on the fifth.

Gannett's race set the standard for later presidential primary campaigns. Although he did not appear on any primary ballot, he personally appeared in each state during the delegate selection process rather than depending on surrogates. He was the only candidate to appear in many states. Also as the first candidate to campaign by plane, he initiated the campaign role of scheduler. Most importantly, his campaign showed the difficulty of winning the nomination by bypassing the primaries.