Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Depending on how old you are, it is possible that you have experienced many great presidents throughout your lifetime. Every single person in this world has their own view as to what a president's role in the world should be, and how their values should reflect them. So far, the United States has gone through 42 Presidents who have all offered many new ideas that have aided our country tremendously. One of these great men was our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman who was thrown into the presidents' seat on April 12, 1945 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died suddenly.

Harry S. Truman was born May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri and grew up near Independence. The young Truman enjoyed his youth on the family farm with his younger sisters Vivian and Mary Jane who both looked up to their older brother. The family was brought up Baptist, and his small-town parents employed music tutors and encouraged Harry to read history and literature from his father's well-stocked library. Harry Trumans' favorite times during his youth were spent playing his piano and attending concerts. From 1900 to 1905, he held various small business positions, but didn't find anything that interested him. In school, all of his teachers knew that Truman, a good student, but feisty young boy would surely go to college. He had hoped to attend West Point, the premier military academy in the nation. Unfortunately, he was turned down because of his poor eyesight and his family could no longer afford college, due to the sudden financial loss that his father suffered. For the next twelve years Truman prospered as a Missouri farmer on his parents' land.

In 1917 at the age of 33, Truman enlisted in the artillery, serving in France and achieving the rank of Captain. On returning from the war, he joined a friend in opening a haberdashery, which later went bankrupt. However, Truman never quit his hard work and took every problem as it came about dealing with them one at a time. In 1919 Truman finally married Virginia ("Bess") Wallace whom he had first met as a child at school in Independence. Bess was a year younger than Truman and when he first purposed in 1911, she did not seem too eager to marry. Bess let Truman dangle for three weeks before turning him down. Eight years later they finally were wed and together they only had one child, a daughter named Margaret.

Throughout his lifetime, Truman had always been very interested in politics and he especially admired Woodrow Wilson. With the encouragement from friend Tom Prendergast, Truman entered politics himself and was soon elected as county judge in 1992. After only two years as county judge, Truman became presiding judge, which he continued for the next eight years of his life.

As the 1934 election rolled around, Truman, a firm supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, was chosen as U.S. Senator from Missouri. Truman was one of thirteen new Democratic Senators; however, he quickly distinguished himself as one of the hardest working members, and the single most loyal supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" programs. He had emerged as one of the most liked and admired men in the U.S. Congress. Truman was reelected in 1940 and gained national attention as chairman of the Senate Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program which was often referred to as the "Truman Committee". Trumans' good work impressed FDR, who liked the way Truman used the committee to protect him from criticism.

In 1944 as FDR was nominated for a fourth term, he decided to drop Henry A. Wallace as vice president and take Truman on board. After Truman had served only 82 days as Vice President, Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12, 1945. Truman quickly took command and in his first address to Congress he promised to continue Roosevelt's policies. Truman spent no time easing into the role of president. That July he attended the Potsdam Conference of the Great Powers which discussed international problems. It was Truman who authorized the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and who approved the surrender of the Japanese government. "The Buck Stops Here," was soon the motto appearing on his desktop.

Without wasting time, the Truman administration at once took steps to demobilize the armed forces, terminate wartime agencies, and resume production of peacetime goods. This became the first time that Truman was brought face to face with the problems of inflation, a steep rise in the cost of living, and aggression on the part of labor unions. Truman did not hesitate to act. He immediately declared wage increases that were essential due to the drastic changes in the economy, he opposed measures against labor and he acted to maintain unions' rights.