Thomas W. Wallace (January 24, 1900 – July 17, 1943) was an American lawyer andRepublicanpolitician. He served aslieutenant governor of New York in 1943, dying less than seven months into his only term.

He was corporation counsel ofSchenectady, New York, and District Attorney ofSchenectady County. At the1942 New York state election, he defeated the incumbent Democrat, Lieutenant GovernorCharles Poletti.

Wallace took office on January 1, 1943, asLieutenant Governor of New York. In early July 1943, however, he contractedchicken pox from his two children. Two days later he began to suffer frompneumonia, and was placed in an oxygen tent at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady.^[1] His condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died on July 17, 1943.^[1] He was buried at the Holy Redeemer Cemetery inNiskayuna, New York.^[2]

His death raised the question of whether the revisedState Constitution, adopted in 1938, required a special election to fill the vacancy.^[3] TheNew York Court of Appeals decided in the affirmative, meeting with harsh criticism from Governor Dewey.^[3] An amendment to the State Constitution in1937 had increased theNew York State Assemblymen's term to two years and theState Senators had already been elected to two-year terms in even-numbered years since1898, 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 inNovember 1943.^[3] 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.

• 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

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