Presidents of the United States (POTUS)

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Harry S. Truman (Why the period?)*

33rd President of the United States
(April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953)

Nickname: "Give 'Em Hell Harry"

Born: May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri
Died: December 26, 1972, in Kansas City, Missouri

Father: John Anderson Truman
Mother: Martha Ellen Young Truman
Married: Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace (1885-1982), on June 28, 1919
Children: Mary Margaret Truman (1924- )

Religion: Baptist
Education: Attended the University of Kansas City Law School
Occupation: Farmer, public official
Political Party: Democrat
Other Government Positions:

Judge on Jackson County Court, 1922-24
Presiding Judge of Jackson County Court, 1926-34
United States Senator, 1935-45
Vice President, 1945 (under F.D. Roosevelt)

Presidential Salary: $75,000/year (increased to $100,000 + $50,000 expense account in 1949)

**Presidential Election Results:**
Year		Popular Votes	Electoral Votes
1948	Harry S. Truman	24,179,345	303
	Thomas E. Dewey	21,991,291	189
	Strom Thurmond	1,176,125	39

Vice President: Alben W. Barkley (1949-53)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State: Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. (1945); James F. Byrnes (1945-47); George C. Marshall (1947-49); Dean G. Acheson (1949-53)
Secretary of the Treasury: Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (1945); Frederick M. Vinson (1945-46); John W. Snyder (1946-53)
Secretary of War: Henry L. Stimson (1945); Robert P. Patterson (1945-47); Kenneth C. Royall (1947)
Secretary of Defense: James V. Forrestal (1947-49); Louis A. Johnson (1949-50); George C. Marshall (1950-51); Robert A. Lovett (1951-53)
Attorney General: Francis B. Biddle (1945); Thomas C. Clark (1945-49); J. Howard McGrath (1949-52)
Postmaster General: Frank C. Walker (1945); Robert E. Hannegan (1945-47); Jesse M. Donaldson (1947-53)
Secretary of the Navy: James V. Forrestal (1945-47)
Secretary of the Interior: Harold L. Ickes (1945-46); Julius A. Krug (1946-49); Oscar L. Chapman (1950-53)
Secretary of Agriculture: Claude R. Wickard (1945); Clinton P. Anderson (1945-48); Charles F. Brannan (1948-53)
Secretary of Commerce: Henry A. Wallace (1945-46); William Averell Harriman (1946-48); Charles Sawyer (1948-53)
Secretary of Labor: Frances Perkins (1945); Lewis B. Schwellenbach (1945-48); Maurice J. Tobin (1949-53)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Chief Justice: Fred Moore Vinson (1946-53)
Associate Justice: Harold Hitz Burton (1945-58); Tom Campbell Clark (1949-67); Sherman Minton (1949-56)

Notable Events:

Internet Biographies:

Harry S. Truman -- from The Presidents of the United States of America: Compiled by the White House.
Harry S. Truman -- from American Presidents: Life Portraits -- C-SPAN: Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN's 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
Harry Truman -- from The American President: From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
Harry S. Truman -- from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum: A complete biography with a list of books for further reading.
Harry S Truman Commemoration -- by Robert H. Ferrell: A commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Truman's presidency. A complete biography with photographs.
Harry S. Truman -- from Character Above All: From a PBS broadcast by the same name, this essay excerpt by David McCullough discusses some of the issues and events that molded Truman.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1949)
Truman Doctrine (1947)

Media Resources:

Audio
From his 1949 inaugural address. (1:14): MP3 (582K); From the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University.
Audio & Video
The American Presidency Projects's Presidential Audio/Video Archive for Harry S. Truman site

Other Internet Resources:

Harry S. Truman National Historic Site: The house where Truman lived from 1919 to his death is located in Independence, Missouri. The Truman Farm House, where Harry grew up, is located in Grandview, Missouri. Both are located in the Kansas City metropolitan area and both are part of the Truman NHS. Maintained by the National Park Service.
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum: Located in Independence, Missouri, this site contains an exhibit hall, press room, educational resources, and of course the papers of the former president.

Points of Interest:

There has been considerable controversy regarding the use of a period after the S in Truman's name. The Harry S. Truman Library website explains the controversy and the reason to use the period.
Truman was the third left-handed president of the United States.

Previous President: Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Next President: Dwight David Eisenhower