| rdfs:comment | - Wendell Lewis Willkie (February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American corporate lawyer who was the Republican Party nominee for the 1940 presidential election, despite having never held a prior elected political office. A member of the GOP's liberal wing, Willkie campaigned against aspects of the New Deal he thought were wasteful or inefficient. He was also a firm internationalist, but in his pursuit of the isolationist vote, he waffled badly on the issue of World War II.
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| abstract | - Wendell Lewis Willkie (February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American corporate lawyer who was the Republican Party nominee for the 1940 presidential election, despite having never held a prior elected political office. A member of the GOP's liberal wing, Willkie campaigned against aspects of the New Deal he thought were wasteful or inefficient. He was also a firm internationalist, but in his pursuit of the isolationist vote, he waffled badly on the issue of World War II. Although Willkie in 1940 received more votes than any previous GOP candidate (22.3 million votes), he lost to incumbent Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in an Electoral College landslide: 449 to 82, carrying ten states. Ironically, President Roosevelt employed Willkie as an ambassador-at-large after the election. Willkie attempted to gain the nomination again in 1944, but ultimately he dropped out. He died of a heart attack shortly after. Willkie is remembered in popular culture for his alliterative campaign slogans "Win With Wendell" and "We Want Willkie."
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