Happy Birthday Harry
On May 8, 1884 (127 years ago today) Harry S Truman, the 34th President of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri. His parents chose "S" as his "middle name" in an attempt to please both of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. The initial did not actually stand for anything. Truman was selected as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Vice-President in 1944 after Roosevelt decided to dump Henry Wallace from the Ticket. But Truman wasn't Vice-President for very long, he succeeded Roosevelt as President on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his historic fourth term.
During the First World War, Truman served in combat in France as an artillery officer in his National Guard unit. After the war he became part of the Democratic Party political machine of Missouri boss Tom Pendergast in Kansas City. In 1934 Truman was elected as United States senator, where he faceteously became known as "the Senator from Prendergast". He gained national prominence as head of the Truman Committee, which investigated waste and mismanagement in the wartime effort. Truman replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944.
As President, Truman faced many challenges in domestic affairs. The disorderly postwar reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft–Hartley Act over his veto. Despite all predictions to the contrary, he was elected as President in 1948, helped by his famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After his election he used executive orders to end racial discrimination in the armed forces and created loyalty checks that dismissed thousands of communist supporters from office. Truman's presidency was also eventful in foreign affairs, with the defeat of Nazi Germany and his decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War. Truman had a folksy demeanour. He popularized such phrases as "the buck stops here" and "if you can't stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen." His approval ratings started out very high, but steadily sunk until he was one of the most unpopular men to leave the White House.
After the Presidency, Truman returned to Independence, Missouri. Four months after leaving office, Truman was invited to address the Reserve Officers Association in Philadelphia. Refusing official transportation, Truman instead drove his brand-new Chrysler New Yorker, with his wife Bess accompanying him in the passenger seat. The trip, which included stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and smaller towns, caused a media sensation, especially when the former President was pulled over by a policeman for driving too slowly in a passing lane.
Once Truman left the White House, his only income was his old army pension: $112.56 per month. At the time there was no pension paid to former presidents. He took out a personal loan from a Missouri bank shortly after leaving office, and then signed a book deal for his memoirs Truman received only a flat payment of $670,000, and had to pay two-thirds of that in tax; he calculated he got $37,000 after he paid his assistants.
In 1958, Congress passed the Former Presidents Act, offering a $25,000 yearly pension to each former president. Truman's financial status played a role in the law's enactment. The only other living former president at the time, Herbert Hoover, also took the pension, even though he did not need the money. Reportedly, he did so to avoid embarrassing Truman. Shortly after becoming President, Truman had invited Hoover to the White House for an informal chat about conditions in Europe. This was Hoover's first visit to the White House since leaving office, as the Roosevelt administration had shunned Hoover. The two remained good friends for the remainder of their lives.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill at the Truman Library and gave the first two Medicare cards to Truman and his wife Bess to honor his fight for government health care as president. On December 5, 1972, Truman was admitted to Kansas City's Research Hospital and Medical Center with lung congestion from pneumonia. He developed multiple organ failure and died at 7:50 am on December 26 at the age of 88. His wife died nearly ten years later, on October 18, 1982. They are buried at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.
During the First World War, Truman served in combat in France as an artillery officer in his National Guard unit. After the war he became part of the Democratic Party political machine of Missouri boss Tom Pendergast in Kansas City. In 1934 Truman was elected as United States senator, where he faceteously became known as "the Senator from Prendergast". He gained national prominence as head of the Truman Committee, which investigated waste and mismanagement in the wartime effort. Truman replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944.
As President, Truman faced many challenges in domestic affairs. The disorderly postwar reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft–Hartley Act over his veto. Despite all predictions to the contrary, he was elected as President in 1948, helped by his famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After his election he used executive orders to end racial discrimination in the armed forces and created loyalty checks that dismissed thousands of communist supporters from office. Truman's presidency was also eventful in foreign affairs, with the defeat of Nazi Germany and his decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War. Truman had a folksy demeanour. He popularized such phrases as "the buck stops here" and "if you can't stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen." His approval ratings started out very high, but steadily sunk until he was one of the most unpopular men to leave the White House.
After the Presidency, Truman returned to Independence, Missouri. Four months after leaving office, Truman was invited to address the Reserve Officers Association in Philadelphia. Refusing official transportation, Truman instead drove his brand-new Chrysler New Yorker, with his wife Bess accompanying him in the passenger seat. The trip, which included stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and smaller towns, caused a media sensation, especially when the former President was pulled over by a policeman for driving too slowly in a passing lane.
Once Truman left the White House, his only income was his old army pension: $112.56 per month. At the time there was no pension paid to former presidents. He took out a personal loan from a Missouri bank shortly after leaving office, and then signed a book deal for his memoirs Truman received only a flat payment of $670,000, and had to pay two-thirds of that in tax; he calculated he got $37,000 after he paid his assistants.
In 1958, Congress passed the Former Presidents Act, offering a $25,000 yearly pension to each former president. Truman's financial status played a role in the law's enactment. The only other living former president at the time, Herbert Hoover, also took the pension, even though he did not need the money. Reportedly, he did so to avoid embarrassing Truman. Shortly after becoming President, Truman had invited Hoover to the White House for an informal chat about conditions in Europe. This was Hoover's first visit to the White House since leaving office, as the Roosevelt administration had shunned Hoover. The two remained good friends for the remainder of their lives.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill at the Truman Library and gave the first two Medicare cards to Truman and his wife Bess to honor his fight for government health care as president. On December 5, 1972, Truman was admitted to Kansas City's Research Hospital and Medical Center with lung congestion from pneumonia. He developed multiple organ failure and died at 7:50 am on December 26 at the age of 88. His wife died nearly ten years later, on October 18, 1982. They are buried at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.