The story of Henry A. Wallace profiles a man’s remarkable journey from vice president of the United States to political pariah. A heartbeat from the presidency when America was fighting World War II, within a decade, the House Un-American Activities Committee questioned his patriotism.
During a presidential bid on a third-party ticket in 1948, Henry Wallace was branded a communist sympathizer. He was egged and his running mate jailed for their unwavering stand on civil rights.
“Is this America?” he asked. It was an America that Henry Wallace transformed with his discovery and marketing of hybrid seeds. It was an America that, as Secretary of Agriculture, he saved from ruin during the worst depression in US history.
As a brilliant scientist and businessman, he lived the American dream. As a politician, he suffered its worst nightmare. The country that had embraced him for his vision rejected him in the end for his expectations. Henry Wallace is the story of a man who was caught between the ideal and the reality that is America.
