Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (b. on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri) was the 33rd President of the United States. He served from 1945 to 1953 and died on December 26, 1972, at the age of 88.[1]
Truman was a member of the Democratic Party. He was first elected in 1944 as Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice president, becoming president after Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. Truman's vice president was Alben Barkley.[2]
Truman became president towards the end of World War II and approved the order to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. During his presidency, the United Nations was created, the Cold War began, and the United States entered the Korean War.
Before serving as President, Truman was a United States Senator from Missouri. Prior to that, Truman served as a Jackson County judge.[1]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of Truman's professional and political career:[1][3]
- 1884: Born in Lamar, Missouri
- 1917: Enlisted in the army to serve during World War I
- 1919: Married Bess Wallace
- 1922: Elected Jackson County Court judge
- 1935-1945: Served in the United States Senate
- 1944: Successful vice presidential running mate for Franklin D. Roosevelt
- April 12, 1945: Sworn in as president of the United States
- August 6-9, 1945: Atomic bombs dropped in Japan
- 1950: Start of the Korean War
- 1952: Did not seek re-election
- 1972: Died in Independence, Missouri
Before the presidency
Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884, to farmer John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Truman. He grew up on the family farm in Independence, Missouri. After graduating high school, Truman worked at times as a timekeeper, a clerk, and a bookkeeper before becoming a farmer and joining the National Guard in 1905. He did not attend college.
During World War I, Truman served in France as a captain in the Field Artillery from 1917 to 1919. Returning to Missouri after the war, he became active in the Democratic Party and briefly co-owned a haberdashery. In 1922, he was elected as a Jackson County judge and served one term before being defeated in his bid for re-election. In 1926, he was once again elected to a Jackson County judgeship. He held this position until 1934, when he was elected to the United States Senate.
In 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose Senator Truman as his running mate, replacing his acting vice president, Henry Wallace. The Roosevelt-Truman ticket won with 53.4 percent of the popular vote and 432 electoral votes. Truman took the oath of office as vice president of the United States on January 20, 1945. On April 12, 1945, President Roosevelt died from a stoke and Truman was sworn in as president.[1][3]
Presidency
Truman's presidency began during the last months of World War II. After Germany's surrender in May, Truman witnessed the signing of the charter establishing the United Nations in June 1945. He signed the order to drop atomic bombs on Japan, which was carried out on August 6 and August 9, 1945. After the war, Truman established what is known as the Truman Doctrine, meant to help contain the Soviet Union's influence, and the Marshall Plan, which was enacted to aid Europe to rebuild following the damages of war.
Truman was re-elected in 1948, defeating Republican candidate Thomas Dewey with 49.6 percent of the popular vote and 303 electoral votes. In 1949, he announced the Fair Deal program during his State of the Union address, which built on Roosevelt's New Deal plan. The Fair Deal was a 21-point program that included universal health care, expanded Social Security, and expanded equal rights for citizens under the law. Also in 1949, Truman negotiated the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military protection treaty between western countries.
Following the start of the Korean War in June 1950, Truman committed U.S. troops to South Korea in an attempt to contain the spread of communism. Although this decision originally had public support, Truman faced criticism for the war. The public's approval declined further in 1951 after Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur, who disagreed with Truman's handling of the conflict. In March 1952, Truman announced he would not seek re-election. Truman was succeeded by Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1][3]
Post-presidency
Truman retired to his hometown of Independence, Missouri. Truman died of natural causes on December 26, 1972, at the age of 88. He and his wife are buried in the courtyard of the Truman Presidential Library.[1]
Personal
Truman married Elizabeth "Bess" Wallace in 1919. Together they had one daughter, Mary Margaret.
Truman did not have a middle name. The letter S was chosen to represent his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather Anderson Shipp Truman.[1]
Elections
1948 presidential election
In 1948, Truman defeated Thomas Dewey (R), J. Strom Thurmond (State's Rights Party), Henry Wallace (Progressive), Norman Thomas (Socialist), and Claude Watson (Prohibition Party).
| U.S. presidential election, 1948 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Harry S. Truman/Alben Barkley |
49.6% | 24,179,347 | 303 | |
| Republican | Thomas Dewey/Earl Warren | 45.1% | 21,991,292 | 189 | |
| State's Rights | J. Strom Thurmond/Fielding Wright | 2.4% | 1,175,946 | 39 | |
| Progressive | Henry Wallace/Glen Taylor | 2.4% | 1,157,328 | 0 | |
| Socialist | Norman Thomas/Tucker Smith | 0.3% | 139,570 | 0 | |
| Prohibition | Claude Watson/Dale Learn | 0.2% | 103,708 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 48,747,191 | 531 | |||
| Election results via: 1948 official election results | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Edward Teichert, Stephen Emery, Farrell Dobbs, and Grace Carlson.[4]
1944 presidential election
In 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt, with Truman as his vice presidential candidate, defeated Thomas Dewey (R), Norman Thomas (Socialist), and Claude Watson (Prohibition Party).
| U.S. presidential election, 1944 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt/Harry S. Truman Incumbent |
53.4% | 25,612,916 | 432 | |
| Republican | Thomas Dewey/John Bricker | 45.9% | 22,017,929 | 99 | |
| Texas Regulars | No candidate | 0.3% | 135,439 | 0 | |
| Socialist | Norman Thomas/Darlington Hoopes | 0.2% | 79,019 | 0 | |
| Prohibition | Claude Watson/Andrew Johnson | 0.2% | 74,758 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 47,920,061 | 531 | |||
| Election results via: 1944 official election results | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Edward Teichert, Arla Albaugh, Gerald Smith, and Henry Romer.[5]
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[6]Following are pages with information on Truman's State of the Union addresses.
See also
External links
- Presidential Library and Museum website
- Official White House biography
- C-Span video on the Truman presidency
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Biography.com, "Harry S. Truman," accessed May 29, 2018
- ↑ United States Senate, "Alben W. Barkley, 35th Vice President (1949-1953)," accessed May 29, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WhiteHouse.gov, "Harry S. Truman," accessed July 3, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1948 Presidential Election Results," accessed May 29, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1944 Presidential Election Results," accessed May 29, 2018
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) |
President of the United States 1945-1953 |
Succeeded by Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) |
| |||||||
