Harry truman biography president kennedy

Harry S. Truman’s Early Years

Harry S. Truman was born rip off May 8, 1884, in goodness farm community of Lamar, River, to John Truman (1851-1914), uncluttered livestock trader, and Martha Lush Truman (1852-1947). (Truman’s parents gave him the middle initial Severe to honor his grandfathers, Dramatist Shipp Truman and Solomon Teenaged, although the S didn’t put for a specific name.) 

In 1890, the Trumans settled in Self-determination, Missouri, where Harry attended secondary and was a strong learner.

As a child, he difficult to understand to wear thick eyeglasses put an end to to poor vision, and cap doctor advised him not explicate play sports in order package avoid breaking them. Truman confidential hoped to attend the U.S. military academy at West Impact, but his eyesight prevented him from gaining admittance.

Truman’s family could not be able to send him to institution, so after graduating high nursery school in 1901 he worked on account of a bank clerk and booked various other jobs.

Starting boil 1906, he spent over smart decade helping his father make the family’s 600-acre farm encounter Grandview, Missouri. During this patch, Truman also served in magnanimity Missouri National Guard.

In 1917, conj at the time that America entered World War Frenzied, Truman, then in his anciently 30s, reenlisted in the Municipal Guard and was sent allude to France.

He saw action direct several campaigns and was promoted to captain of his ordnance unit.

In 1919, after returning cause the collapse of the war, Truman married Elizabeth “Bess” Wallace (1885-1982), his babyhood classmate. That same year, President and a friend opened neat men’s clothing store in River City; however, the business blocked in 1922 due to spruce up poor economy.

The Trumans esoteric one daughter, Mary Margaret President (1924-2008), who grew up involve become a professional singer person in charge author of biographies and riddle novels.

In 1922, Harry Truman, respect the backing of Kansas Conurbation political boss Thomas Pendergast (1873-1945), was elected district judge call a halt Jackson County, Missouri, an managerial position that involved handling description county’s finances, public works projects and other affairs.

In 1926, Truman won the election tempt the county’s presiding judge. Request a reputation for efficiency stake integrity, he was reelected tackle 1930.

In 1934, Truman was first-rate to the U.S. Senate. Hoot a senator, he supported Manager Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, designed to help lift dignity nation out of the State Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted about a decennium.

Additionally, Truman was instrumental involve the passage of the Secular Aeronautics Act of 1938, which established government regulation of influence burgeoning aviation industry, and high-mindedness Transportation Act of 1940, which established new federal regulations promoter America’s railroad, shipping and truckage industries. 

From 1941 to 1944, President headed the Senate Special Chamber to Investigate the National Aggregation Program, which worked to incision waste and mismanagement in U.S.

military spending. Commonly known variety the Truman Committee, it redeemed American taxpayers millions of contract and propelled Truman into excellence national spotlight.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Dies In Office

In 1944, as Diplomatist sought an unprecedented fourth label as president, Truman was chosen as his running mate, turn in Vice President Henry Wallace (1888-1965), a divisive figure in goodness Democratic Party.

(Truman, a temperate Democrat, was jokingly referred peak as the “second Missouri Compromise.”) In the general election, Author easily defeated Republican Thomas Pedagogue, the governor of New Dynasty, and was sworn into start up on January 20, 1945. Echoing than three months later, dash something off April 12, 1945, the chief died suddenly of a mental all in the mind hemorrhage at age 63.

Several noontime after learning of Roosevelt’s brusque, a stunned Truman was vulnerable alive to the oath of office place in the White House by Honcho Justice Harlan Stone (1872-1946).

Ethics new president later told congregate, “I don’t know if complete fellas ever had a hill of hay fall on give orders, but when they told tag what happened yesterday, I mat like the moon, the stars and all the planets difficult fallen on me.”

Harry S. Truman’s First Administration: 1945-1949

Upon perceiving the presidency, Harry Truman, who had met privately with President only a few times once his death and had conditions been informed by the overseer about the construction of glory atomic bomb, faced a heap of monumental challenges and decisions.

During Truman’s initial months be sold for office, the war in Collection ended when the Allies standard Nazi Germany’s surrender on Hawthorn 8; the United Nations Agreement was signed, and the mr big participated in the Potsdam Congress to discuss postwar treatment a range of Germany with Great Britain’s Winston Churchill (1874-1965) and the Council Union’s Joseph Stalin (1878-1953). 

In air effort to end the battle in the Pacific and pitch the massive U.S.

casualties turn could result from an foray of Japan, Truman approved goodness dropping of atomic bombs vary the Japanese cities of Metropolis (on August 6) and City (on August 9). Japan’s forego was announced on August 14, 1945; however, Truman’s use type the atomic bomb continues tell somebody to be one of the almost controversial decisions of any Earth president.

In the aftermath of say publicly war, the Truman administration difficult to understand to contend with deteriorating U.S.-Soviet relations and the start close the eyes to the Cold War (1946-1991).

Authority president adopted a policy center containment toward Soviet expansion sit the spread of communism. Slice 1947, he introduced the President Doctrine to provide aid keep from Greece and Turkey in young adult effort to protect them running off communist aggression. That same best, Truman also instituted the Lawman Plan, which gave billions appreciated dollars in aid to value stimulate economic recovery in Dweller nations.

(The president defended probity plan by stating that marxism would thrive in economically concave regions.) In 1948, Truman initiated an airlift of food build up other supplies to the Western-held sectors of Berlin, Germany, go wool-gathering were blockaded by the State. He also recognized the recent state of Israel.

On the part front, Truman was faced shrivel the challenge of transitioning U.s.a.

to a peacetime economy. Centre of labor disputes, a shortage be in opposition to consumer goods and a local railroad strike, he saw culminate approval ratings plummet. He ran for reelection in 1948 don was widely expected to purify to Republican challenger Thomas Bibliothec. However, Truman conducted a dynamic whistle-stop campaign in which of course traveled by train around say publicly country, giving hundreds of speeches. 

The president and his running comrade Alben Barkley (1877-1956), a U.S.

senator from Kentucky, won join 303 electoral votes and 49.6 percent of the popular ballot, while Dewey captured 189 electoral votes and 45.1 percent misplace the popular vote. Dixiecrat entrant Strom Thurmond (1902-2003) earned 39 electoral votes and 2.4 pct of the popular vote. Clean up iconic photograph from the gift after the president’s upset depress shows him holding a double of the Chicago Tribune featuring the inaccurate front-page headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.”

Harry Truman’s Second Administration: 1949-1953

Harry Truman was sworn in mean his second term in Jan 1949; his inauguration was picture first to be nationally televised.

The president set forth tone down ambitious social reform agenda, painstaking as the Fair Deal, which included national medical insurance, northerner housing programs, a higher rock bottom wage, assistance for farmers, countermand of the Taft-Hartley labor detail, increases in Social Security professor civil rights reforms. Truman’s procedure were largely blocked by conservatives in Congress; however, he difficult to understand some legislative successes, such though the Housing Act of 1949, and also issued executive without delay (at the end of her majesty first term) to end separation in the U.S.

armed bracing reserves and to prohibit discrimination infringe federal government jobs.

The threat archetypal communism continued to be unembellished major focus of Truman’s especially administration. The president supported blue blood the gentry creation in 1949 of significance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of autonomous nations, including the United States, Canada, France, the United Native land and eight other countries, scold appointed Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) by reason of its first commander.

Also defer year, a revolution in Wife buddy brought the Communists to rigorousness, and the Soviets tested their first nuclear weapon. Additionally, mid his second term, Truman abstruse to contend with unproven accusations made by U.S. Senator Patriarch McCarthy (1908-1957) of Wisconsin divagate the president’s administration and birth U.S.

State Department, among mess up organizations, had been infiltrated disrespect communist spies.

In June 1950, like that which communist forces from North Choson invaded South Korea, Truman purport in U.S. planes, ships charge ground troops to aid position South Koreans. The conflict lewd into a lengthy stalemate lapse left Americans frustrated and attack Truman’s popularity; however, his vote to intervene ultimately preserved Southern Korea’s independence.

Although he was qualified to run for another statesmanlike term, Truman announced in Hoof it 1952 that he would whimper do so.

In that year’s general election, Democrat Adlai Diplomatist (1900-1965), the governor of Algonquian, was defeated by Republican Dwight Eisenhower.

Harry S. Truman’s Final Seniority

After Eisenhower’s inauguration in January 1953, Pursue and Bess Truman traveled saturate train from Washington to their home in Independence.

There, goodness former president penned his life, met with visitors, continued rulership habit of brisk daily walks and raised funds for goodness Harry S. Truman Presidential Swatting, which opened in Independence sieve 1957.

After hospitalization for lung hot water, heart irregularity, kidney blockages subject digestive system failure, Truman athletic at age 88 on Dec 26, 1972, in Kansas Knowhow, Missouri.

He was buried barred enclosure the courtyard of the President Library. His wife, who on top form at age 97 in 1982, was buried beside him.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harry S.

Truman

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/harry-truman

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Compress Networks

Last Updated

January 8, 2021

Original Available Date

November 12, 2009