33 — HARRY S. TRUEMAN
Harry S. Truman named after his maternal uncle, Harrison Young; the middle initial represents both "Shippe", after his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shippe Truman; and "Solomon", after his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young. It is generally accepted that the exact name which is abbreviated is undetermined, so that in effect the 'S' stood for
nothing but S. Truman's "full name" could be regarded as "Harry S Truman" (without the period), but he did not sign his name that way. Examination of official papers at the Truman Presidential Library reveal that the S. is generally written with a period.
Born: May 8,
1884 (1884-05-08)
Lamar, Missouri
Died: December 26,
1972 (aged 88)
Kansas City, Missouri
Father: John Anderson Truman
Mother: Martha Ellen Young Truman
Spouse: Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace (1885-1982), on June 28, 1919
Education: Attended the University of Kansas City Law School
Occupation: Small businessman (
haberdasher),
farmer
Religion: Baptist
Took office: April 12,
1945
Left office: January 20,
1953
Party: Democratic
Vice President: None (1945–1949),
Alben W. Barkley (1949–1953)
Preceded by: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Succeeded by: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Other Government Positions- Judge on Jackson County Court, 1922-24
- Presiding Judge of Jackson County Court, 1926-34
- United States Senator, 1935-45
- Vice President, 1945 (under F.D. Roosevelt)
Presidential Nicknames- Give 'Em Hell Harry: At a whistle-stop tour during the 1948 election campaign, someone in the crowd shouted out to Truman, "Give 'em hell, Harry!". The phrase stuck as a nickname, with the missing comma turning the proposition into an adjective. Truman's oft-cited take on this nickname and his opponents was, "I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."
- Haberdasher Harry: One of his several pre-presidential occupations
- High-Tax Harry
- The New Missouri Compromise
- The Man of Independence: His home town was Independence, Missouri