Thomas W. Wallace (January 24, 1900 – July 17, 1943) was an American lawyer and Republican

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He served as

lieutenant governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

in 1943, dying less than seven months into his only term. He was corporation counsel of

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, and District Attorney of Schenectady County. At the 1942 New York state election, he defeated the incumbent Democrat, Lieutenant Governor Charles Poletti. Wallace took office on January 1, 1943, as

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

. In early July 1943, however, he contracted

chicken pox Chickenpox, also known as varicella ( ), is a highly contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), a member of the herpesvirus family. The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which ...

from his two children. Two days later he began to suffer from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, and was placed in an oxygen tent at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died on July 17, 1943.
Lt. Gov. Wallace, 43, Dies Of Pneumonia
'' New York Times, 1943-07-18 at 1. He was buried at the Holy Redeemer Cemetery in

Niskayuna, New York Niskayuna is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 23,278 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeast part of the county, east of the city of Schenectady, and is the easternmost town in the county. ...

.Political Graveyard (Wallace)
accessed 2009-09-07.

Political aftermath

His death raised the question of whether the revised State Constitution, adopted in 1938, required a special election to fill the vacancy.Peter J. Galie
''Ordered Liberty: A Constitutional History of New York''
p. 271 (Fordham University Press, 1995), , . The

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

decided in the affirmative, meeting with harsh criticism from Governor Dewey. An amendment to the State Constitution in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

had increased the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

men's term to two years and the State Senators had already been elected to two-year terms in even-numbered years since

1898 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen ...

, so that now in odd-numbered years there were usually only local offices to be filled at the general election in November. Despite Dewey's objections, a statewide special election was held in November 1943. On recommendation of Governor Dewey, the Legislature passed, and the voters approved, a constitutional amendment which prohibited any elections for lieutenant governor in any event except at the time of the election of a governor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Thomas W Lieutenant governors of New York (state) 1900 births 1943 deaths Politicians from Schenectady, New York Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) New York (state) Republicans 20th-century New York (state) politicians