Harry S. Truman
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Harry S. Truman
33rd President of the United States
In office
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
Vice President
None (1945–1949)* Alben W. Barkley (1949–1953)
Preceded by
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Succeeded by
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th Vice President of the United States
In office
January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded by
Henry A. Wallace
Succeeded by
Alben W. Barkley
United States Senator
from Missouri
In office
January 3, 1935 – January 17, 1945
Preceded by
Roscoe Patterson
Succeeded by
Frank Briggs
Personal details
Born
(1884-05-08)May 8, 1884
Lamar, Missouri, U.S.
Died
December 26, 1972(1972-12-26) (aged 88)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Resting place
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
Independence, Missouri
Political party
Democratic
Spouse(s)
Bess Wallace
Children
Margaret
Profession
Haberdasher* Farmer
Religion
Southern Baptist
Signature
Military service
Service/branch
Missouri National Guard* United States Army* United States Army Reserve
Years of service
1905–1911* 1917–1919* 1920–1953 (Reserve)
Rank
Major* Colonel (Reserve)
Commands
Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division
Battles/wars
World War I
• Western Front
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953). The final running mate of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Truman succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when Roosevelt died after months of declining health. Under Truman, the U.S. successfully concluded World War II; in the aftermath of the conflict, tensions with the Soviet Union increased, marking the start of the Cold War.Truman was born in Missouri, and spent most of his youth on his family's farm. During World War I, Truman served in combat in France as an artillery officer in his National Guard unit. After the war, he briefly owned a haberdashery and joined the Democratic Party political machine of Tom Pendergast in Kansas City, Missouri. He was first elected to public office as a county official, and in 1935 became U.S. senator. He gained national prominence as head of the wartime Truman Committee, which exposed waste, fraud, and corruption in wartime contracts.While Germany surrendered a few weeks after Truman assumed the Presidency, the war with Japan was expected to last another year or more. Truman approved the use of atomic weapons against Japan, intending to force Japan's surrender and spare American lives in an invasion; the decision remains controversial. His presidency was a turning point in foreign affairs, as the nation supported an internationalist foreign policy in conjunction with European allies. Working closely with Congress, Truman assisted in the founding of the United Nations, issued the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, and passed the $13 billion Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, including the Axis Powers of both world wars, whereas the wartime ally Soviet Union became the peacetime enemy, and the Cold War began. He oversaw the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and the creation of NATO in 1949. When communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, he immediately sent in U.S. troops and gained UN approval for the Korean War. After initial success, the UN forces were thrown back by Chinese intervention and the conflict was stalemated through the final years of Truman's presidency.On domestic issues, bills endorsed by Truman often faced opposition from a conservative Congress dominated by the South, but his administration successfully guided the American economy through post-war economic challenges. He said civil rights was a moral priority, and submitted the first comprehensive legislation in 1948, and issued Executive Orders to start racial integration of the military and federal agencies that year. Corruption in Truman's administration, which was linked to certain members in the cabinet and senior White House staff, was a central issue in the 1952 presidential campaign which Adlai Stevenson, Truman's successor as Democratic nominee, lost to Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. Popular and scholarly assessments of his presidency were initially negative, but eventually became more positive after his retirement from politics. Truman's 1948 election upset for his full term as president is routinely invoked by underdog candidates.
^ Truman, who was Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, became President on Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. Prior to the adoption of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in 1967, a vacancy in the office of Vice President was not filled.
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