Harry S. Truman

Truman married his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth “Bess” Wallace, in 1919, and the couple had a daughter, named, Mary Margaret.

He died on December 26, 1972, at the age of 88, due to pneumonia.

Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri, to John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Young Truman. His father was a farmer and livestock dealer.

Harry was named after his maternal uncle, Harrison Young, and his middle name "S" was in honor of both his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman.

His childhood was spent on a family farm in Independence, Missouri and he started going to school from the age of eight. He graduated from Independence High School in 1901.

After graduating from high school, Truman did not attend college but worked a variety of jobs. These include: timekeeper for a railroad construction company and a series of clerical jobs.

He wanted to join the United States Military Academy but was rejected because of poor eyesight. He served in the Missouri Army National Guard from 1905 to 1911.

When the United States entered the World War I in 1917, Truman volunteered for duty and rejoined the Guard. He was promoted to the rank of captain and his unit was deployed in France. During the Meuse-Argonne campaign, he led admirably and fought with great bravery and valor.

Post World War I, he returned to Independence, Missouri and opened a haberdashery in Kansas City, in collaboration with his friend, Jacobson. During the recession of 1921, his business suffered losses and his shop went bankrupt. At that time Truman owed $20,000 to creditors. He did not accept bankruptcy and repaid all the debt over a period of 15 years.

In 1922, with the help of Democratic boss Thomas Pendergast, Truman was elected as a County Court judge of Jackson County's eastern district. But in 1924, he lost the election to Republican candidate.

In 1926, with support from Pendergast, he was elected as the presiding judge for the county court and was re-elected in 1930.

In 1934, Truman was elected to the United States Senate from Missouri. He served on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Interstate Commerce Committee. During his term, he initiated a legislation that imposed tighter federal regulation on the railroads; this established his image, as a man of integrity, in people's eyes.

Truman approved the use of atomic weapons against Japan, which hastened the end of the World War II.

He played a leading role in the founding of the United Nations and signed the charter ratifying the United Nations.

He announced a $13 billion Marshall Plan to assist in the rebuilding of the European economies, after the World War II.

On domestic front, Truman successfully shepherded the American economy through post-war economic challenges, and initiated racial integration in the military and federal agencies.