- NAME – Harry S. Truman
Library of Congress - NICKNAME(S) – Give “Em Hell, Harry
- BIRTH / DEATH – May 8, 1884 Lamar, Mo. / Kansas City, Mo. (age 88)
- FATHER – farmer
- MOTHER – housewife
- COLLEGE – none
- WIFE – Bess Wallace
- KIDS – one daughter
- PETS – Irish setter (Mike) – belonged to Margaret
- RELIGION – Southern Baptist
- ANCESTRY – English – Scotch – Irish
FIRSTS:
– first to visit West Germany
– first to serve in WWI
– first to have a TV in the White House
– first to have his inauguration televised
– first to pardon the Presidential turkey
– first to address the nation on TV
MA AND PA: His father stood only 5’4” and was called “Peanuts” when he was growing up. He was likeable, but had a reputation for getting into fights. He had little education and became a poor farmer. He was also interested in political activities like attending the Missouri State Democratic Party Convention in 1908. He often brought his son Harry with him. He lost all his savings and the inherited family farm investing in grain futures. For a while he was the night watchman for a grain elevator, until he caved in and agreed to run his in-laws farm. He died of cancer in 1914 at age 62. Harry’s mother came from a poor farm family. She was an avid reader and taught her son the alphabet early. By age 5 he could read the Bible. A gift of “Great Men and Women” became an influential and prized possession. She was still alive when he became President and her homespun personality was a hit with the press. During the Civil War, her family had temporarily been put in a camp by the Union army. She hated Lincoln because of that and refused to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom when she stayed over in the White House. She died in 1947 at age 94. Parents
BACKGROUND:
– grew up on a farm
– after high school, railroad timekeeper, bookkeeper, farmer
– owned a clothing store that failed
– elected county judge
– 1935 – elected to the U.S. Senate
– 1944 – elected Vice President
FIRST LADY: Elizabeth (“Bess”) was the daughter of prominent member of her home town. Her father had been mayor. In spite of this, she was a tomboy and loved horse-riding, climbing trees and excelling at tennis. She was much more athletic than the four-eyed bookworm who fell in love with her. They met at Sunday school when she was 5 years old. He admired the fact that she was the only girl in their school who could whistle through her teeth. Her parents were less than thrilled when the son of a dirt farmer courted her, but after 15 years of persistence, Harry got his girl. They were married when he returned from WWI. Harry called her “the Boss”. As the wife of a politician, she edited his speeches and was put on his payroll as a secretary when he was a Senator. He insisted she earned her pay, and she probably did. She died at age 97, making her the longest lived First Lady. Kelly 337-338
Library of Congress
TRIVIA:
– he was named after his uncle Harrison
– the only 20th Century President not to graduate from college
– when he was President the salary increased to $100,000 with $50,000 for expenses
– he played the piano; a famous picture has him seated at a piano and the actress Lauren Bacall draped over it (Bess did not like the picture)
– growing up, he read every book at the town library
– when he ran for reelection to the Senate, FDR endorsed his opponent
– during WWII, the Truman Committee saved tax payers $15 billion
– his “whistlestop campaign” covered 30,000 miles; he gave 300 speeches to 20 million people
– he washed his own underwear in the White House
– daughter Margaret loved the movie “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and watched it 13 times in the White House Sadler 284
– after Margaret’s piano leg broke through the floor, Truman had extensive renovations made to the building; the Truman’s lived in Blair House (the Vice President’s residence) for three years
– at age 33, he was still living at home; he enlisted in the Army and served in WWI in the artillery where he was called “Captain Harry” by his men
ANECDOTES:
LOAD OF HAY – Vice President Truman was having drinks in House Speaker Sam Rayburn’s office when he was called to the White House to be told by Eleanor that FDR was dead. When he asked her if there was anything he could do for her, she responded: “Is there anything we can do for you? You are the one in trouble now.” The next day when he met with reporters, Truman said: “Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don’t know whether you ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars and all the planets had fallen on me.” Boller p. 278
THE LOUSY REVIEW – Truman’s daughter Margaret fancied herself a singer, but apparently not everyone agreed. When she gave a recital in Washington, a critic gave her a bad review and her father became very upset and protective. He penned the following letter to the critic: “I have just read your lousy review buried in the back pages. You sound like a frustrated old man who never made a success, an eight-ulcer man on a four-ulcer job and all four ulcers working. I never met you, but if I do you’ll need a new nose and a supporter below.” This, of course, cause quite a stir, but most Americans supported Truman’s defense of his daughter. Boller p. 260-1
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT – The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was created in the 1930’s, led by Albizu Campos. He preached a violent revolution to get the island its independence. He was arrested and sentenced to six years in a New York prison for attempting the overthrow of the government. When he returned to Puerto Rico in 1947, he attempted to revive the movement. In 1950, the rebels seized the town of Jayuya, but the National Guard put down the rebellion. Two of the rebels, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo, decided that the assassination of the President would help their cause. Their plan benefited from the fact that because the White House was being renovated, Truman was living at Blair House (the Vice President’s residence). Torresola and Collazo approached the building from opposite sides. Each was armed with a pistol. Truman was upstairs taking a nap. Collazo opened fire on Secret Service agent Donald Birdzell and hit him in the knee. Agents Floyd Boring and Joseph Davidson shot at him through the fence. Birdzell returned fire from the ground. Collazo was hit in the scalp and chest. He sat down to reload. Meanwhile Torresola approached a guard booth and shot Leslie Coffelt several times. He also wounded Joseph Downs who managed to crawl to the back door to lock it. Torresola went to aid Collazo and shot Birdzell from behind in his other knee. At this point, Collazo collapsed due to his wounds. Truman, awakened by the gunfire, looked out the window, but Torresola did not notice him. Coffelt shot Torresola dead. Collazo was captured and sentenced to death. In 1952, Truman commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. Amazing 148-149
THE GREAT BRUSSELS SPROUTS FLAP – President Truman inherited housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt. She was noted for her simple menus and it was said she served the worst food in Washington. Truman hated brussels sprouts, but after Margaret pointed this out, Mrs. Nesbitt served it the next two nights. Soon after that, Mrs. Nesbitt was “retired”. Kelly 98