DGS Newsletter, Volume 33, Number 7, September/October 2008 Page: 233
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GENERAL DGS NEWS
the conclusion that total commitment
necessary for two people who want to mel
share their life, and it appears that
commitment was present in her marriage to
S. Truman.was
d and
total
HarryAt the age of nineteen, after her father's death,
Bess found herself in the role of parent to her three
brothers. Her grandfather Gates was able to
financially care for them, but they also needed the
strength and spiritual guidance that their mother
was incapable of giving.
Although Bess attended the Barstow Finishing
School in Kansas City for a year and excelled in her
studies and athletics, she was not able to
accompany her friends when they left
Independence to continue their education back
East. She resumed her life as head of her family
without complaint and continued to enjoy the many
activities offered a young woman of her day. She
played bridge and tennis, loved horseback riding,
and attracted the attention of many young men in
her circle of friends.
One young man who was absent from this
amusement and gaiety was Harry Truman.
Although he wasn't a part of her group of friends,
she was always in his thoughts. Their friendship
and courtship were gradual. There were many
detours along the way. It grew with infinite patience
and caring on his part and an increasing awareness
of his kindness and strength on her part. After
three years of courtship, they became engaged.
Six years later on June 28, 1919, when Captain
Harry Truman returned from France, they were
married.
Trinity Episcopal Church in Independence,
Missouri. never had a happier bridegroom or more
radiant bride.
Bess and Harry Truman continued to live in
Independence, where Harry served in many areas
of public service, including a judgeship in Jackson
County. They both wanted children, and finally, on
the 17th of February 1924, Mary Margaret Truman
made her appearance.
In 1934, Harry was elected to the United States
Senate. He served two terms as a Senator from
Missouri before becoming Franklin Roosevelt's
running mate in 1944.
Aside from missing her family, friends, and
home in Independence, Bess found Washington a
friendly town. In 1935, it was relaxed and informal
and she made many friends. The social structurefor politicians' wives included leaving your calling
card. It was a weekly ritual ... strictly followed.
In a book she wrote about her mother, Margaret
remembered going with her to the White House.
Their car pulled up to the door, the butler came out,
and Margaret deposited her mother's engraved
card on his silver tray. Senators' wives were "at
home" on Thursday, and there were other days for
wives of Cabinet members and Congressman.
The financial strain of living in two places and
family obligations in Independence, made it
impossible for Bess to be in Washington all the
time. This was a constant source of discontent for
Harry. Although they continued their lifelong habit
of writing everyday, he missed her very much and
never adjusted to the loneliness of their
separations.
She was opposed to her husband's running for
Vice President in 1944. Her worst fears became a
reality with the news of President Roosevelt's death
in Warm Springs a few months after Truman's
election. When her husband took the Presidential
oath of office on April 12, 1945, Elizabeth Virginia
Wallace Truman became First Lady of the United
States of America.
The day after he took office, one of his first
requests of the press was "Boys, if you ever pray,
pray for me now. I don't know whether you fellows
ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they
told me yesterday what had happened (to
Roosevelt), I felt like the moon, the stars, and all
the planets had fallen on me."
He couldn't know that one hundred and sixteen
days later, on August 6, 1945, one of the most
difficult and horrendous decisions ever made by a
President of the United States would fall on his
shoulders.
Bess's time as First Lady was filled with many
unusual circumstances. They had only been in
residence at the White House a short time when it
became necessary to move to Blair House, the
official guesthouse of the President. They spent
over four years there while the White House was
undergoing a complete renovation.
While the Truman's were living at Blair House,
two Puerto Rican nationalists from the United
States, fighting for the independence of Puerto
Rico, attempted to assassinate President Truman.
The President wasn't injured, but a Secret Service
Agent was killed as were the two would-be
assassins.
At the end of his second term as President,
Bess and Harry Truman returned to Independence,
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Dallas Genealogical Society. DGS Newsletter, Volume 33, Number 7, September/October 2008, periodical, September 2008; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1261482/m1/5/?q=%222008~%22: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.