Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman
National Archives and Records Administration. Office of Presidential Libraries. · Public domain · source
Name	Harry S. Truman
Caption	Official portrait, 1945
Order	33rd
Office	President of the United States
Term start	April 12, 1945
Term end	January 20, 1953
Vicepresident	None (1945–1949), Alben W. Barkley (1949–1953)
Predecessor	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Successor	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Office2	34th Vice President of the United States
Term start2	January 20, 1945
Term end2	April 12, 1945
President2	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Predecessor2	Henry A. Wallace
Successor2	Alben W. Barkley
Jr/sr3	United States Senator
State3	Missouri
Term start3	January 3, 1935
Term end3	January 17, 1945
Predecessor3	Roscoe C. Patterson
Successor3	Frank P. Briggs
Birth date	8 May 1884
Birth place	Lamar, Missouri, U.S.
Death date	26 December 1972
Death place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Bess Wallace, June 28, 1919
Children	Margaret Truman
Occupation	Farmer, haberdasher, judge, politician
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. Ascending to the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he led the nation through the final months of World War II and the challenging early years of the Cold War. His tenure was defined by momentous decisions, including the authorization of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the implementation of the Marshall Plan, and the founding of NATO.

Early life and career

Born in Lamar, Missouri, he spent his youth in Independence, Missouri. After working on the family farm and as a bank clerk in Kansas City, he served as an artillery officer in France during World War I. Following the war, he opened a haberdashery in Kansas City which failed during the Recession of 1920–1921. His political career began under the patronage of Thomas J. Pendergast, the boss of the Kansas City Democratic machine, who supported his election as a Judge of the Jackson County Court in 1922. Elected to the United States Senate in 1934, he gained national prominence during World War II as chairman of the Truman Committee, which investigated waste and fraud in United States war contracts.

Presidency (1945–1953)

He assumed the presidency in April 1945, just before the surrender of Nazi Germany. In July, he attended the Potsdam Conference with Winston Churchill (later Clement Attlee) and Joseph Stalin. He authorized the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, leading to the surrender of Japan. His administration crafted the Truman Doctrine in 1947 to contain Soviet expansion, championed the Marshall Plan to rebuild Western Europe, and oversaw the Berlin Airlift in 1948. That same year, he won a stunning upset victory in the 1948 United States presidential election against Thomas E. Dewey. In 1949, he presided over the creation of NATO and witnessed the fall of China to Mao Zedong's communists. The following year, he committed United States forces to the Korean War under the auspices of the United Nations. Domestically, his Fair Deal agenda included the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces and clashes with a conservative Congress.

Post-presidency and death

After leaving the White House in 1953, he returned to Independence, Missouri. He published his two-volume memoirs, oversaw the construction of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and remained an active commentator on national affairs. His health declined in the late 1960s. He died on December 26, 1972, at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, following a prolonged struggle with congestive heart failure. He was interred at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence.

Legacy and historical view

Initially judged harshly by contemporaries, his reputation among historians and the public improved considerably in subsequent decades. He is widely praised for his decisive leadership at the dawn of the Cold War, particularly for the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the establishment of NATO. His authorization of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains one of the most debated actions in presidential history. Scholars often cite his plainspoken manner, personal integrity, and the motto "The buck stops here" as emblematic of his direct approach to governance. He is consistently ranked by historians as one of the nation's greatest or near-greatest presidents.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:1884 births Category:1972 deaths