Harry S Truman
1884-1944
Harry S. Truman: Missouri’s Favorite Son
Tom Pendergast had what appeared to be a lock on Kansas City politics for many years. If it was going to happen, it had to have Boss Tom’s approval. While many of the activities of the Pendergast Machine were inappropriate or even illegal, one thing that brought benefit to Kansas City (if not the world) was the decision to promote a financially-strapped haberdasher to district judge.
Tom Pendergast had what appeared to be a lock on Kansas City politics for many years. If it was going to happen, it had to have Boss Tom’s approval. While many of the activities of the Pendergast Machine were inappropriate or even illegal, one thing that brought benefit to Kansas City (if not the world) was the decision to promote a financially-strapped haberdasher to district judge.
Harry Truman was born to John and Martha Truman of Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. The Trumans were a hard working bunch, involved in farming. John Truman was a livestock trader and a tough family leader. He was known to be quick to stand up for his convictions. It is said that John Truman would fight “at the drop of a hat.” That attitude carried over into his fathering. He was stern with his boys, once making Harry walk home after the child fell from his horse.
Harry was small and timid, with extremely poor eyesight. Not many young boys were wearers of eyeglasses at the time and Harry’s mother chided him to not get involved in much typical “boy stuff,” because he might break his glasses. He was teased by the other boys. Harry, instead, dived into books and the piano. It is said that the young Truman read all 3,000 books in the Independence library. Independence was home to the Truman family around the time that Harry was six years old. His education would come from this community, his adopted hometown. He took to the piano with the same fervor he gave reading and became a very quality pianist. Later in life Harry Truman would make a comment concerning his career choice between playing piano and politics that would hold a certain level of humble humor.
The Truman’s were old-style Democrats of the late 19th century fashion. They had been pro-South following the Civil War and would hold Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee in high esteem. Harry would follow in the political views of the Democratic Party and remain a staunch Democratic Party advocate his entire life.
Harry wanted to serve his country in a military manner, to even attend West Point. His eyesight kept that from happening. He would instead join the Missouri National Guard in 1905. Some say he memorized the eye chart to pass the vision test. Being in the Guard would give Harry the opportunity to develop his leadership skills and serve the United States in World War One. In March 1918, his regiment (129th Artillery Regiment) left for France. He would receive the rank of Captain during the war and lead his men through various campaigns during late 1918. He would be respected by the men he served and develop lifelong friendships with some. Those friendships would be important once Truman entered the political world.
One of Truman’s fellow soldiers, Eddie Jacobson, would partner with Truman in business with the haberdashery, a men’s clothier. The two had to finance most of the business to get it off the ground and had several loans to pay from their proceeds. The United States experienced an economic downturn at the start of the 1920s and it played a significant role in the two friends’ clothing store. By September 1922 the store was closed and Truman close to bankruptcy.
That same year, Tom Pendergast was looking for a new person to serve as the Eastern district judge of Jackson County. One of Harry’s fellow soldiers in France was the nephew of Pendergast and recommended Truman for the job. Truman accepted the opportunity and would serve Jackson County for several years, during a time of road development and more. In 1926, he would serve as the president of the National Old Trails Road Association, a group promoting a transcontinental highway from Baltimore to Los Angeles. The road would end up becoming most of U.S. Federal Highway 40. The mid-20s was a boon of roadbuilding nationwide with this group and the christening of Route 66.
Truman’s popularity was due to his reputation of honesty and hard-work, plus his military service drew the support of his fellow veterans. The reputation was true, as he worked diligently to pay back all the indebtedness of the haberdashery and strived to keep a sober and scrupulous life. This would put him at odds with “Boss Tom” as Truman would serve in his elected position as an example of fairness and integrity with corruption all around him. Pendergast was continually making decisions that would benefit him and this would make him angry with Truman when Harry wanted to award jobs to the best bidder. Tom was quick to grumble in public as to how he felt Truman was stubborn. But the two maintained a functioning relationship; with Pendergast having what I believe was a level of respect for this man he placed in the Eastern district judgeship.
The 1934 Senatorial election found Pendergast and the Democratic Party wanting to replace the incumbent Republican Senator, Roscoe C. Patterson, with a Democrat. Harry approached Tom with a desire to run for governor, but Pendergast would end up proposing that Truman run for the senatorial seat. Truman would defeat Patterson by a good twenty percent.
Because of the influence that Tom Pendergast had on local and Missouri politics, many people had little hopes for Truman to do anything as a senator other than Pendergast’s whims. His first term held no real impact. Those in Washington (and outside of it too) liked to refer to Truman as “the senator from Pendergast” because of the Pendergast Machine. Harry tended to ignore the taunts and let his own actions speak for his record. That record would come full turn during his second term as senator beginning in 1940.
Truman served as chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program in 1940. With the world-wide concern and fighting of World War Two going on, the United States provided a good deal of the weapons and equipment used in fighting the Axis Powers. The United States was not actually in the war yet, but many believed it inevitable. This committee sought to ensure that defense contractors delivered to the nation quality goods at fair prices. There was a fair deal of overspending and misappropriation then as there is today. Truman and his committee wanted to see that the materials being made were safe and efficient for the needs of our servicemen. Because of the role that he played in this situation, Truman gained national notoriety.
In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt was looking toward campaigning for a fourth term as President of the United States. The restriction to two terms established by Amendment 22 had not been considered yet and the nation was still engaged in fighting the Axis. So Roosevelt believed that he should continue in that role at least until the war ended. This was one of the Democratic campaign slogans, as well, “Stay and Finish the Job.” Roosevelt was concerned that his Vice-President at the time, Henry Wallace, was too liberal and off-center to hold the Democratic vote to win the election. He decided that he was not going to keep Wallace as a running mate and began looking elsewhere. The junior senator from Missouri, Harry S Truman would receive FDR’s acceptance as a running mate over all other prospects.
It was believed that Truman had enough rural conservatism and industrial support to get the job done. Interestingly enough, Wallace also was from the Midwest, Iowa, but many of his views on agriculture, religion, and more made him a “loose cannon,” so to speak, for Roosevelt and the Democratic Party. Everyone close to FDR knew that he was ill and understood the possibility that the vice-president may end up finishing Roosevelt’s fourth term if he was re-elected and died in office. Wallace was not a risk that any of the Democrats wanted to take. Truman had the capabilities to handling that task if it was placed before him. That is just what would happen to Harry Truman.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in to the Presidency for a fourth term on January 20, 1945. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt was dead. He died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at 3:35pm.
“Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don’t know if you fellows ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.”
Vice President Harry Truman continued his friendships with various members of Congress after leaving the Senate. On the afternoon of April 12, 1945, Harry had entered the office of the Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn of Texas, to visit with “the boys,” sip a little whiskey, and maybe join in a hand or two of card-playing. An urgent telephone call came into the office ordering Truman to the White House immediately.
Truman had every inkling in his mind surmising what had happened. No one near Roosevelt had any doubt that the man was gambling with time. What thoughts must have been going through Truman’s mind as he drove the two and a half minutes down Constitution Avenue from the Capitol Building to the White House? If Roosevelt was indeed dead that meant that he (Truman) was now the President of the United States! A failed clothing store owner and a man who never went to college as the leader of the free world. The extreme weight of such a thought may have been more than any normal man could fathom.
Harry Truman was escorted into the private quarters of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt when he arrived at the White House. The interchange between Mrs. Roosevelt and Truman has been well-documented over the years.
Eleanor Roosevelt: “Harry, the President is dead.”
Truman: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Eleanor Roosevelt: “Is there anything we can do for you. For you are the one in trouble now.”
Eleanor Roosevelt: “Harry, the President is dead.”
Truman: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Eleanor Roosevelt: “Is there anything we can do for you. For you are the one in trouble now.”
Two hours later Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States. The Second World War was still raging, although efforts like the Manhattan Project were being conducted that would lead to Truman being the American President to end World War Two and make the world safe for democracy.