Biography of Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was born May 8, 1884. He was the 33rd President of the United States serving from 1945 until 1953. Truman also served as the 34th vice president where he succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt when he died less than three months after he began his fourth term.

Truman served as an artillery officer during WWI. After the war, he became part of Tom Pendergast's political machine and was elected as a county judge in Missouri and later a United States Senator. After he gained national prominence as head of the Truman Committee, he replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as FDR's running mate in 1944.

Once Turman became president, he faced many domestic challenges. He was in charge of reconverting the economy of the United states after WWII, dealt with numerous strikes across the country, and had the Taft-Hartley Act passage even after his veto. He won re-election in 1949 with the help of the Whistle Stop Tour in rural America. Nonetheless, only one of his proposals in the Fair Deal were passed. Truman used executive orders to begin desegregation of the armed forces and launched loyalty checks to remove communist sympathizers from government offices. As for foreign affairs, at the end of WWII he helped find the United Nations and helped develop the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. He also started the Truman Doctrine to contain communism which saw the beginning of the Cold War and creation of NATO. He also dealt with the Korean War. Corruption, on the other hand, was seen as rampant amongst the administration. It had reached the cabinet and senior White House staff. Republicans used it as a central issue in the 1952 elections.

Truman died December 26, 1972.

Today, Truman is ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents.

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