Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was the 33rd president of the United States. He was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. He was the oldest of three kids of John Anderson and Martha Ellen Young Truman. There is something interesting about the "S" in Truman's name. His family did not want to choose between his grandfathers names - Anderson Shippe Truman and Solomon Young, so they just made the "S" his middle name.
In 1890, the Trumans moved to Independence, Missouri, which was a town that was still close to the rugged life of the American frontier. When they moved, Truman was six years old. He was not his father's favorite. Unlike his father's wishes, Harry S. Truman was into reading and piano as appose to what his younger brother John Vivian did. John Vivian shared his father's interest in trading horses and mules. Harry however dreamed of becoming a pianist and practiced for many hours every day.
Harry S. Truman (1884 – 1972), 1945 – 1953 the...
Presidential portrait of Harry Truman. Official Pr...
English: Democratic Poster in 1944It was his mother who first got him interested in piano and encouraged him to practice. Truman was "the type of boy who seemed to do whatever his mother told him."# The third child of the Truman's was Martha Truman. She had gone to college and studied music, art, and literature. When Harry S. Truman was five years old she sat him down and taught him how to read from the Bible. Harry claimed to have read every book in the Independence library. "He particularly liked biography and history. George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee...They were his heroes and he wanted to be like they were."# Everything Harry learned made him admire the "old fashioned" virtues. "A true heart, a strong mind, and a great deal of courage," wrote Truman in a school essay, "and I think a...