Elizabeth Virginia Truman (née Wallace; February 13, 1885 – October 18, 1982) was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and the first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She also served as the second lady of the United States from January to April 1945. She currently holds the record of longest-lived first lady and longest-lived second lady at 97 years, 247 days.
She was born in Independence, Missouri, where she kept a
home her entire life. She had known Harry since they were children, though she
did not return his affections until adulthood. She was strongly affected by the
suicide of her father when she was 18 years old, which shaped her opinions
about privacy from the public eye and the responsibilities of a spouse. Bess
and Harry married in 1919, and Bess would spend the following years managing
the Truman household and working in her husband's offices as his political
career advanced. She was apprehensive about Harry becoming vice president in
1944, and she was deeply upset when he ascended to the presidency the following
year.
As First Lady, Bess avoided social obligations and media
attention whenever possible, and she made regular excursions to her home in
Independence. She chose not to continue in the regular press conferences
carried out by her predecessor Eleanor Roosevelt, believing that her
responsibility as a wife was to keep her opinions private. Her influence on her
husband's presidency came about in their private conversations, as he would
consult her about most major decisions during his presidency. She was also
prominent in his reelection campaign, making regular appearances for crowds as
he toured the United States. She was greatly relieved when Harry chose not to
run for another term in 1952. After her tenure as first lady, Bess lived in
retirement at her home in Independence until she died in 1982.
Truman was generally popular among her contemporaries, but
her lifelong devotion to privacy has allowed for limited historical analysis.
She refused to provide information about herself or her beliefs to journalists
during her lifetime, and she destroyed many of her letters after leaving the
White House. There is no consensus among historians on her performance as First Lady or to what extent she influenced her husband's presidency.
Early life
Bess was born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace on February 13,
1885, in Independence, Missouri, to Margaret Elizabeth Gates and David Willock
Wallace. Margaret was the daughter of a businessman, and David was a local
politician. Bess was known as Bessie during her childhood, and she had three
younger brothers (Frank, George, and David). Her only sister died in infancy.
As a child, Bess had a reputation as a tomboy due in part to her propensity for
sports, including golf, tennis, horseback riding, shot put, basketball,
baseball, and ice skating. She practiced dance and etiquette, and she attended
town balls and hayrides of the town's aristocracy.
In 1903, when Bess was 18, her father committed suicide.
According to the biographer David McCullough, the cause of his suicide is
unknown, with speculation ranging from depression to mounting debts. Bess spent
the following hours pacing silently in her backyard, first alone and then
joined by her closest friend Mary Paxton. Her father's suicide was scandalous,
and the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a year to avoid the
community's attention. Bess later attempted to keep this part of her life a
secret. After her father's death, Bess took responsibility for raising her
younger brothers, and the family moved into the home of her maternal grandparents.
Bess's mother became a lifelong recluse, and the ordeal imprinted upon Bess the
belief that a husband and wife should be close partners in everything they do.
She refused to speak about her father for the rest of her life.
After graduating from Independence High School (now known as
William Chrisman High School) she studied at Miss Barstow's Finishing School
for Girls in Kansas City, Missouri. Bess played on the women's basketball team,
and she studied literature and French. As a young woman, Bess enjoyed
expressing herself through fashion and hats; in the words of a friend, "Bess always had more stylish hats
than the rest of us did, or she wore them with more style." After returning
from school, she resumed her role as the head of the family, and she became
involved with the community through her bridge club and her charity work with
the Needlework Guild. It was at this time that she began going by Bess rather
than Bessie.
Marriage and family
Harry S. Truman met Bess soon after his family moved to
Independence in 1890, and the two attended school together until graduation.
Many factors kept them from forming a closer bond in school, including their
differences in social class and religion, Harry's time-consuming job at a
drugstore, and Harry's inability to participate in athletics with Bess due to
his thick glasses. They sometimes studied Latin together, and he often
volunteered to carry her books, but they did not become close friends.
Bess had many suitors in the years after high school, but none
won her love. In 1910, long after their time in school, Harry volunteered to
return a cake plate to the Wallaces as an excuse to speak to Bess. They
reconnected and began a courtship. Harry was insecure about his lack of money,
and he attempted to impress Bess by purchasing tickets to shows and building
her a tennis court. Bess' mother disapproved of the relationship.
Harry proposed in 1911 in a long letter, which he later
admitted was clumsily written, but Bess turned him down. He later said that he
intended to propose again when he would be earning more money than a farmer.
They became informally engaged in November 1913, though Harry still doubted
himself regarding his finances. Over the following years, the couple regularly
corresponded while Harry traveled throughout the United States for his work in
mining and petroleum. Bess wished to marry before Harry departed to fight in
World War I in 1917, but he refused to risk making her a young widow. She
worked to support the war effort while he was gone by selling war bonds, and
she served on a committee for entertaining soldiers.
Bess and Harry married on June 28, 1919, at Trinity Episcopal
Church in Independence. The newlyweds honeymooned in Chicago and Detroit and
then moved into Bess's childhood home so she could care for her mother. During
their marriage, Bess tried in vain to teach her husband the etiquette with which
she had been raised. Their only child, Margaret, was born in 1924. Bess's two
previous pregnancies had ended in miscarriages. Bess became the primary
authority figure in Margaret's life, while Harry would spoil her.
Bess held several jobs working with her husband, which
provided more income for the Truman family. She was accounts manager at
Truman-Jacobsen Haberdashery from 1919 to 1922 when the business went
bankrupt. After Harry was elected county judge in the eastern district of
Jackson County, she worked as his aide from 1922 to 1924 and from 1926 to 1934.
Corruption and violence were prominent in Jackson County politics at the time,
and working with her husband in his early political career caused her great
distress, including when they feared a plot to kidnap their young daughter. In
addition to helping Harry in his political work, Bess also managed the family's
household and finances. As part of her social life, Bess helped found the
Junior Service League of Independence and a chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution.
Move to Washington,
D.C.
When Harry was elected as a senator from Missouri in 1934,
Bess stayed in Missouri with her mother for the first year. After visiting
Harry, she decided to stay, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. While
Congress was in session during the first half of each year, they would live in
rented apartments in Washington. When the session ended, they would return to
Independence for the rest of the year. While her husband was in the Senate,
Bess became a member of the Congressional Club, the PEO Sisterhood, the H
Street United Service Organization, and the Red Cross work of the group
informally known as the "Senate
Wives". She joined her husband's staff as a clerk, answering personal
mail and editing committee reports when he became chairman of the Senate
Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. She developed
relationships with the wives of senators and cabinet members, though she did
not attend meetings of senators' wives, as she found them boring. During her
husband's political career, she helped him write his speeches, though she
refused to give any of her own.
In 1944, Harry was offered the Democratic nomination for
Vice President of the United States. He had not sought the position, and it was
a surprise to the Trumans when it was offered. When the position had
previously been suggested to him, he had dismissed the idea out of concern for
Bess and Margaret. When Harry accepted the role of vice president to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bess was not entirely pleased. She wanted to return to
their life in Missouri, and she also feared that Roosevelt would die, which
would make her husband the president. Bess's position on Harry's staff was
controversial during the campaign, but he retained her during the campaign and
during his vice presidency. After the Democratic ticket won the election and
Harry was sworn in as vice president, Bess became Second Lady of the United
States. She found herself saddled with the associated social responsibilities,
attending many events as a representative of the Roosevelts, often multiple
times in one day. Bess served as second lady for 82 days before President
Roosevelt died and her husband ascended to the presidency.
First Lady of the
United States
Social role
President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, immediately
making Harry Truman the President of the United States and Bess Truman the
First Lady of the United States. Bess reportedly wept when she first heard the
news. After making arrangements for her mother, Bess' first act as first lady
was to give her condolences to the widowed Eleanor Roosevelt shortly before
attending her husband's inauguration. They moved into Blair House on April 16,
allowing Eleanor time to vacate the White House, and they occupied the White
House on May 7. Bess had only limited social responsibilities during her first
months as first lady, as the nation was in the midst of World War II and in
mourning of President Roosevelt. She stayed in the White House until the end
of the month before making her first return trip to Independence.
After the end of World War II, Bess was responsible for
restoring the White House social season, and she organized the White House's
receptions and events. She was inspired by the history of the White House and
that of the Monroe administration in particular. She chose to host a more
limited social season in response to postwar food shortages, replacing large
dinners with informal luncheons. She emphasized courteousness and respect for
all of her guests, including political opponents and others that she disliked.
Bess received about one hundred letters each day, and she spent much time replying
to each one. She also maintained some social obligations in Washington
society, including regular attendance of luncheons in her honor.
Bess felt great anxiety at public events and wished to avoid
being the center of attention. She underwent a humiliating experience a few
weeks into her tenure as First Lady when she was asked to christen airplanes by
striking champagne bottles against them. The first bottle had not been scored
to allow for an easy break, causing Bess to ineffectually strike the bottle
against the plane's hull several times amid a crowd of spectators and reporters.
Harry would tease her about this event, and she would eventually join the
family in laughing at the footage.
Bess found the White House's lack of privacy distasteful. As
her husband put it later, she was
"not especially interested" in the "formalities and pomp or the artificiality" that
surrounded the presidential family. Though she steadfastly fulfilled the social
obligations of her position, she did only what she thought was necessary. She
resisted any changes to her lifestyle, often handling bookkeeping, dusting, and
other chores on her own, though she did enjoy having domestic servants. She
dressed simply, preferring conservative gowns and suits rather than more elaborate
dresses. When the White House was rebuilt during Harry's second term, the
family lived in Blair House and kept their social life to a minimum. The
responsibility of finding new venues for larger events fell to Bess.
Press relations
The contrast with Bess's activist predecessor Eleanor
Roosevelt was considerable. Unlike Roosevelt, Bess held only one press
conference after many requests from the media. Inquiries to the first lady
consisted of written questions in advance and the written replies were mostly
monosyllabic along with many no comments. When asked why she did not want to
give press conferences she replied
"I am not the one who is elected. I have nothing to say to the
public." Bess did not support advancing women's role in politics, and
she believed that there would never be a woman president. She is quoted as saying that a woman's role in
public is to "sit beside her
husband, be silent, and make sure her hat is on straight". Bess's
response to whether she wanted her daughter Margaret to become president was "most definitely not." Her
reply to what she wanted to do after her husband left office was "return to Independence".
Bess maintained a limited association with women journalists
on the advice of her husband's press secretary, but she did not provide them
with information. She did allow reporters to have mimeographed copies of her
schedule, becoming the first First Lady to do so. Part of the reason for her
reclusive behavior may have been a fear that her father's suicide would be
publicized, though it would not be public knowledge until after her death.
Press briefings would often be given on Bess' behalf by her social secretary
Edith Benham Helm and personal secretary Reathel Odum. Her limited interaction
with the media surprised many journalists who had grown accustomed to regular
coverage of her predecessor. Others approved of her behavior, feeling that her
predecessor had overstepped in the role of first lady.
Political influence
Privately, Bess was an unofficial advisor to her husband.
She never told him what to do as president, but she often offered her opinion
on matters he was unsure of. Bess would also assist Harry with his speeches,
including his speech on the Truman Doctrine. In addition to speeches, Bess
reviewed and commented on Harry's work at the end of every day, and played an
influential role in his 1948 campaign. Harry would later say that he asked her
input on major issues, including the Marshall Plan and entry into the Korean
War. Many of Bess' ideas became government initiatives, including the use of
theatrical companies abroad to improve foreign relations and the involvement of
the National Institutes of Health to combat disease. She was also
the one to suggest appointing Charlie Ross as the White House Press Secretary.
Bess was involved with a controversy while she was first
lady in attending a reception for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The
organization had refused to allow Hazel Scott, a black pianist, to perform at
DAR Constitution Hall, and Bess' attendance was seen as an endorsement of this
stance. Scott's husband, Representative Adam Clayton Powell, was banned from
the White House after calling Bess the "Last
Lady of the Land". Bess caused a similar controversy when she attended
a play at George Washington University despite an ongoing protest against the ban on
black audience members. Bess felt that a First Lady's actions should not
address political issues, and she considered her personal time to be entirely
separate from her political role. She was upset with being compared to
segregationists, furthering her resolve to avoid the public for the rest of her
husband's presidency.
As First Lady, Bess served as Honorary President of the Girl
Scouts, the Woman's National Democratic Club, and the Washington Animal Rescue
League. She was the Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross. She worked with
various organizations, but she never adopted a group or cause to focus on, as
many First Ladies do. She was active in her husband's reelection campaign in
1948, traveling the country with Harry in a whistle-stop train tour in which he
introduced her to crowds as his "Boss".
Her presence, along with that of her daughter, contributed to Harry's image as
a family man. She also sat in on and
contributed to meetings among his advisors. Four years later, when Harry was
uncertain about another reelection campaign, Bess' desire to return home was a
major factor in his decision not to run. When Harry announced that he would not
run for reelection in 1952, one of Bess' friends described her as trying not to
show how gleeful she was. After her retirement, however, she would say that
she enjoyed the culture and political happenings of Washington.
Personal life
Despite criticism of her regular absences from Washington,
she spent a significant amount of time as first lady in Independence. Bess
allowed her daughter to fulfill the social responsibilities of the first lady
during her absences. Even when she was in Washington, most of her time was dedicated
to her family. She continued to care for her mother until the latter died in 1952. When Bess was in Washington, she held a weekly Spanish language class
for her and her local friends. She also hosted her bridge club from home in
Independence, bringing them out to the White House and leading them on a tour
of Washington.
During the first months of her husband's presidency, Bess
felt neglected. She made Harry aware of these feelings, but his schedule
prevented them from spending as much time together as they were accustomed to.
This caused a great argument between the couple in December 1945 after Harry
arrived for Christmas. After returning to Washington, he wrote her a harshly
worded letter only to call Margaret and have her burn it before Bess could read
it. The couple reconciled after this incident, and Harry ensured that she had
an increased role in his administration. White House staff and visitors often
described the Trumans as a close family. Their close relationship as a family
was apparently such that the staff affectionately dubbed Harry, Bess, and
Margaret the "Three Musketeers".
Later life
After leaving the White House in 1953, the Trumans went back
to Independence and the family home at 219 North Delaware Street, where the
former president worked on building his library and writing his memoirs. Upon
arriving home, they were met with a large crowd of admirers, which Bess
thoroughly enjoyed. In 1955, the Trumans
went on vacation at a resort owned by Edwin W. Pauley in Coconut Island,
Hawaii. That summer, they went on a road trip across the continental United
States, but they were impeded by the attention they received everywhere they
went.
The Trumans toured Europe in 1956 and again in 1958. Bess
fully recovered following a 1959 mastectomy in which doctors removed a large,
but benign, tumor. The Trumans made their first return to the White House in
1961 on the invitation of the Kennedys. When President Lyndon Johnson signed
Medicare into law in 1965, the Trumans were the first senior citizens to
receive Medicare cards, presented to them by Johnson at the Truman Library. At
the time of her husband's death in December 1972, at age 88, she was 87, making
them the oldest couple to have occupied the White House up to that time.
Bess was dismayed in the 1972 presidential election, as she
opposed the left-wing policies of 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern,
and she felt that Thomas Eagleton had been unfairly treated when he was removed
from the 1972 Democratic ticket. She agreed to be the honorary chairman of
Eagleton's Senate reelection campaign in 1974, and she held a similar position
for James W. Symington in 1976. She also supported Congressional candidate Ike
Skelton due to the close relations of their families. While Harry's presidency
had been heavily scrutinized after leaving office, Bess lived long enough to
see a historical reassessment in the 1970s that portrayed him in a more
positive light. Jimmy Carter sought her endorsement in the 1980 presidential
election, though he did not receive it.
Bess continued to live quietly in Independence for the last
decade of her life, being visited by her daughter and grandchildren. She
received many visitors in Independence, sometimes upwards of a hundred in one
week, and she often demonstrated a keen memory for names and details about
people she had met in the past. Arthritis necessitated that she use a
wheelchair in her final years, and she continued in her less active hobbies,
reading mystery novels and closely following the Kansas City Royals. She would
also reread an old love letter from her husband every day.
Bess died on October 18, 1982, from congestive heart failure
at the age of 97, and a private funeral service was held on October 21.
Afterward, she was buried beside her husband in the courtyard of the Harry S.
Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. She remains the longest-lived first
lady in United States history at 97, followed by Rosalynn Carter at 96, Nancy
Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson at 94, Betty Ford at 93, and Barbara Bush at 92.
Truman is also the longest-lived second lady in United States history.
Legacy
Truman kept a low profile during her tenure as First Lady,
and commentators often emphasized how little was known about her. Many
contemporary reports about her contained inaccuracies and misrepresentations
based on the very little that reporters could glean. Her refusal to discuss her
political beliefs led the public to believe that she had no strong opinions of
her own. Bess destroyed many of her own letters after leaving the White House
with the intention of making historical analysis of her life more difficult. Most
of her surviving correspondences are those that were preserved by her daughter.
She made only one television appearance, also on the initiative of her
daughter. Much of the historical record about Bess is derived from a biography
written by her daughter and letters written to her by Harry. For this reason, the historical analysis of Bess Truman varies considerably. Siena Research
Institute polling ranked her as the 11th best out of 37 first ladies in 1993,
but its subsequent edition in 2003 ranked her as 20th best out of 38.
She was often contrasted with her predecessor, Eleanor
Roosevelt. While Roosevelt was active in politics and an influential public
figure, Bess' influence was largely felt behind the scenes at the White House.
She would chide her husband when he lost his temper, to the point where her "you didn't have to say that" became
an inside joke among the White House staff. Bess was popular among the staff,
with whom she enjoyed friendly relations in contrast to her shy personality in
public. Her input may have influenced her husband's decision-making, but the
extent of her role is lost to history.
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