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• Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States. His tenure in the White House was marked by events such as his decision to use the atom bomb to end World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: May 8, 1884
  2. Political Party: Democratic
  3. Administration: 1945 - 1953
  4. Vice President: Alben W. Barkley
  5. Succeeded by: Dwight D. Eisenhower
  6. Secretaries of State: Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr., James Francis Byrnes, George Marshall
  7. Spouse: Bess Wallace Truman
  8. Occupation: Businessman, Farmer
  9. Died: December 26, 1972
  10. Given Name: Harry S. Truman
  11. Children: Margaret Truman Daniel
  12. Ordered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Presidency

  Harry Truman was the 34th Vice President of the United States, until president Franklin D. Roosevelt died while serving his fourth term. Truman took the reigns during World War II and made the decision to use the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He won re-election in 1948 against all expectations, having been unpopular in the immediate aftermath of the war.

  During his two terms he proposed the Truman Doctrine to fight Communism, the Fair Deal program, and he sought to end segregation in the U.S. Army.

• 1948 Election

  Truman, facing pressure at home from Zionists and Jewish leaders, was integral in the formation of a Jewish state in Israel. (Urban Jewish voters were an important and influential group of supporters for Truman). Truman had recommended that 250,000 Holocaust refugees be located to Israel, against the wishes of his Secretary of State, George Marshall. Truman officially recognized the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Democratic Party | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Richard Nixon | Lyndon Johnson | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Margaret Truman | John Demjanjuk

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