Harry Truman, a president who witnessed and was a part of some of the most
memorable events in U.S. and world history, is said to have had a reputation for being an
honest and efficient man. Born in the town of Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884, Truman
was used to living a humble life. Growing up as a Baptist on a farm near Independence,
Missouri, Truman was the eldest of three children. His parents were John and Martha
As a youth, Truman had weak eyesight which resulted in keeping him out of the
regular army. Truman, in 1905, then decided to join the Missouri National Guard. He
ended up serving in World War I as the commander of an artillery battle. Upon his return
in 1919, Truman married his best childhood friend Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace. The
two married at the ages of 35 and 34, respectively. Eventually, they had one daughter,
Mary Margaret, in 1924. Around the time of his marriage, Truman went into business
with an army friend and opened a men's clothing store in Kansas City. The stored failed
Later on in his career, Truman, a Democrat, ran for Missouri county judge and
spent more than a decade doing that. In 1934 he was elected U.S. Senator and was
re-elected in 1940. During this time his reputation began to grow as an honest and
efficient man. Truman served as Vice President in 1944, underneath Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, who was in his fourth term as President. Truman's running mate for this race
On April 12, 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, leaving Harry Truman as
America's next president. Unfortunately, Roosevelt's untimely death left Truman in the
position of president during the closing days of World War II. He had a lot of work to do
with respect to rebuilding and repairing the war-weary country.
Truman accomplished many things while in office, including the successful
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