Editing Thomas E. Dewey (section)

=== Honesty and integrity ===
Dewey received positive publicity for his reputation for honesty and integrity. The newspaper editor [[William Allen White]] praised Dewey as "an honest cop with the mind of an honest cop."<ref>(Smith, p. 23)</ref> An October 1953 editorial in the ''Oneonta Star'' said that "We think the Governor is ruthless in his actions, but we also think he will countenance nothing that smacks of trickery and dishonesty in public administration."<ref>(Smith, p. 614)</ref>

He insisted on having every candidate for a job paying $2,500 or more rigorously probed by state police. He was so concerned about the elected public official being motivated by the wealth his position could produce that he frequently said, "No man should be in public office who can't make more money in private life."<ref>Repeated statement quoted in ''Eigen's Political & Historical Quotations'', The Literacy Alliance Quote Number 549592.</ref> Dewey accepted no anonymous campaign contributions and had every large contributor not known personally to him investigated "for motive."<ref name=":0">(Smith, p. 27)</ref> When he signed autographs, he would date them so that no one could imply a closer relationship than actually existed.<ref name=":0" />

A journalist noted in 1947 that Dewey "has never made the slightest attempt to capitalize on his enormous fame, except politically. Even when temporarily out of office, in the middle 1930s, he rigorously resisted any temptation to be vulgarized or exploited...he could easily have become a millionaire several times over by succumbing to various movie and radio offers. He would have had to do nothing except give permission for movies or radio serials to be built around his career and name. Be it said to his honor, he never did so."<ref>(Gunther, p. 531)</ref>