Who is Harry Truman?

Harry Truman, or Harry S. Truman, was the thirty-third President of the United States. Before becoming President of the United States, Harry Truman was Vice President under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Upon the death of Roosevelt, Truman took over the Presidency. Truman served two terms in the office. During his first term, 1945 through 1949, he did not have a Vice President. In his following term from 1949 through 1953, however, his Vice President was Alben W. Barkley.

Harry Truman faced a number of domestic challenges as President of the United States. He faced economic troubles including severe shortages and numerous strikes. Upon his executive orders, the United States Armed Forces began a process of desegregation. Truman also faced the task of removing thousands of government officials from office for showing sympathy or adherence to the Communist movement. Because Truman was against mandatory loyalty oaths for government officials, however, some political groups accused him of being soft on Communism, even though he did proclaim the Truman Doctrine to Contain Communism. There was evident corruption in the Truman administration. Even senior White House staff were implicated.

Truman’s presidency was certainly not a quiet one. In addition to managing troubles on home soil, he also saw many major events take place in foreign affairs. While Harry Truman was in office, America claimed victory over Germany, saw the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. Of course, before Japan surrendered, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. During his time in office, the United Nations were founded, NATO was created, the Korean War began, and the Cold War began. He also developed the Marshall Plan, or the European Recovery Programme. At the heart of this plan was the intention of rebuilding post World War II Europe and repelling Communism.

Harry Truman was born on 8 May 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. On 28 June 1919, he married Bess Wallace. The couple had one daughter, Margaret, who was born on 17 February 1924. He passed away on 26 December 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 88. Truman was known for his folksy sayings. The popularization of the sayings, “The buck stops here,” and “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” have been attributed to Harry Truman.