President of the Day

What was his next political position?

Truman left the U.S. Senate after President Roosevelt asked him to be his vice presidential running mate. Roosevelt had initially considered James F. Byrnes, William O. Douglas, and Truman. Truman served only eighty-two days as vice president before Roosevelt passed away.

Which member of Truman's cabinet served in two different positions?

George C. Marshall served as Truman's secretary of state from 1947 to 1949 and as his secretary of defense from 1950 to 1951. Marshall had been Franklin D. Roosevelt's chief military advisor and was a key figure in Allied strategy during World War II. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 because of the famous program named after him--the Marshall Plan--which outlined the economic rebuilding of Europe following the devastating war.

What did Truman do after the war?

He opened a clothing store in Kansas City, Missouri, with Eddie Jacobsen, a comrade from World War I. The store did well for a couple years but went under in 1922. For more than a decade, Truman made installment payments to pay off his creditors. Because he had once owned a clothing store, he earned the nickname "The Haberdasher."

What was unusual about the 1948 election?

The election was unusual because the newspapers and pollsters wrongly predicted that Dewey would defeat Truman. The Chicago Tribune published an article in its early edition on election day with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman." Many political pundits also wrongly predicted that Dewey would prevail.

When did Truman learn there was an atom bomb?

Truman did not learn of the existence of the atom bomb until he assumed office as president in April 1945. As vice president, he had no clue about its development. At the end of a cabinet meeting, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson informed him about the bomb.

From The Handy Presidents Answer Book, Second Edition by David L. Hudson, Jr., JD., (c) Visible Ink Press(R) More than 1,600 things you never knew about our nation's leaders