Harry Truman: Biography and Legacy

Introduction

“If you can't convince them, confuse them,” Harry Truman. Harry S Truman, sworn in as the 33rd president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt's sudden death, presided over the end of WWII and dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. He was born in Missouri on May 8, 1884. He was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's vice president for just 82 days before Roosevelt died, and Truman became the 33rd president. Harry S Truman was the oldest child born to John Anderson Truman, a farmer and mule trader, and his wife, Martha Ellen Truman. Harry was named after his uncle, Harrison Young, but his parents couldn’t decide on a middle name, so after a month, they chose the letter S as a tribute to both his maternal and paternal grandfathers. Truman grew up on the family farm in Independence, Missouri, and did not attend college. He worked a variety of jobs after high school, first as a timekeeper for a railroad company, and then as a clerk and bookkeeper at two different banks in Kansas City. After five years, he returned to farming and joined the national guard (McCullough, 1992).

Military and Business Ventures

When World War I erupted, Truman volunteered for duty, although he was 33 years old, two years older than the age limit, and was eligible for exemption as a farmer. After the war, Truman returned home and married his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth “Bess” Wallace, in 1919, with whom he had a daughter, Mary Margaret. He also made a foray into business when he, along with an associate, Eddie Jacobson, set up a hat shop in Kansas City. However, with America experiencing an economic decline in the early 1920s, the business failed in 1922. With the closing of the business, Truman owed $20,000 to creditors. He refused to accept bankruptcy and insisted on paying back all the money he borrowed, which took more than 15 years. This period of financial struggle demonstrated Truman's resilience and commitment to personal responsibility (Ferrell, 1994).

Political Rise

At this time, he was approached by Democratic boss Thomas Pendergast, whose nephew served with Truman in the war. Truman was appointed as an overseer of highways and later was chosen to be a judge but was defeated when he ran for a second term. Truman ran again in 1926 and was elected as the presiding judge, a position he held until he ran for senator. Truman was elected to the United States Senate in 1934. In his first term, he served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which was responsible for allocating tax money for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal projects, and the Interstate Commerce Committee, which oversaw railroads, shipping, and interstate transport. By the time Truman was up for reelection in 1940, Pendergast had been convicted of tax evasion, causing Truman's connection to be a fault for the election. Nonetheless, Truman was still elected, narrowly.

Vice Presidency and Presidency

In the 1944 presidential election, Truman deemed his acting vice president, Henry Wallace, unacceptable because Wallace was disliked by many senior Democrats in Washington. Since it was apparent that Roosevelt would not survive his fourth term, the vice-presidential pick was really important. Truman was initially reluctant to accept, but once he received the nomination, he campaigned vigorously. Roosevelt and Truman were elected in November 1944, and Truman took the oath of office on January 20, 1945. He served as vice president for just 82 days before Roosevelt died of a massive stroke, and he was sworn in as president on April 12, 1945. In the first six months of his term, he announced the Germans’ surrender, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—ending World War II—and signed the charter ratifying the United Nations. Truman then won the next election and took significant steps to stop racial discrimination in the country, demonstrating his commitment to civil rights (Hamby, 1995). He also made America take part in the Korean War. Truman retired from the presidency in 1953. He then returned to Missouri and died on December 26th, 1972, and is buried next to Bess in the courtyard of the Truman library.

Legacy

Some of the things Truman did and achieved were the presidency, the Truman Committee, the Truman Doctrine, ordering the bombings in Japan, the Marshall Plan, and the establishment of the NSC, CIA, and the NSA. In my opinion, Harry Truman was a really hardworking person who always knew what he was doing. These traits helped him change the way of the world and lead him to make the right decisions. He is considered to be one of the greatest US presidents, and I hope his changes will stay in the world forever.

References

• Ferrell, R. H. (1994). Harry S. Truman: A Life. University of Missouri Press.
• Hamby, A. L. (1995). Man of the People: A Life of Harry S. Truman. Oxford University Press.
• McCullough, D. (1992). Truman. Simon & Schuster.