Harry S. Truman
Born in 1884 Missouri, Harry S. Truman saw action in France during the First World War, returning home to win a judge seat in Jackson County Missouri before his election to the U.S. Senate in 1934. During much of World War Two, Truman headed a senate committee focused on reducing waste and mismanagement in the U.S. military, which saved American taxpayers millions of dollars.
Truman Committee
Gaining popular notoriety during his time on the Truman Committee, as it became known, FDR chose Truman as his running mate during his unprecedented fourth term in office, passing away from a cerebral hemorrhage three months into his term, which in turn propelled Truman into the White House at a time when crucial leadership decisions were required of a sitting president.
Attends Potsdam Conference
Following Germany’s surrender on May 8th, 1945, Truman attended the Potsdam Conference to determine the post-war fate of Germany and Europe, and after Allied war planners estimated one million Allied lives would be lost during a ground invasion of the still belligerent Empire of Japan, Truman gave his approval for the first nuclear bombs dropped on humans at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended the Second World War.
Cold War Begins
When U.S./Soviet relations soured after the end of war, Truman adopted a policy of containment against the spread of Soviet-backed communism, sparking the first years of the Cold War, at the same time instituting the Marshall Plan, which gave billions in aid to rebuild and stimulate war-ravaged Europe. He also approved the Berlin Airlift of 1948, after the Soviets blockaded vital supplies into Allied-held parts of Berlin.
Wins Unlikely Second Term
Widely expected to lose his bid for a second term in office, largely due to his falling popularity amid post-war labor disputes and shortages of consumer goods, Truman won reelection over Republican challenger Thomas Dewey, after undertaking a whirlwind campaign by train. While his Fair Deal social reform agenda was largely blocked by conservatives in Congress, he did succeed in inking the Housing Act of 1949, as well as issuing executive orders to end segregation in the military, as well as discrimination in federal jobs.
Helps Create NATO
His second term also saw the creation of NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, as well as the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, which erupted after North Korean communist forces invaded South Korea. Deciding not to seek a third term as president, after Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential inauguration in January of 1953, Harry and his wife Bess returned home to Independence Missouri, where Harry wrote his memoirs and raised funds for the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, which opened in Independence in 1957. He passed away on December 26th, 1972 at 88 years of age, making Harry S. Truman, one of the most impactful presidents of the 20th century.