Truman Day is a commemorative holiday to celebrate the birth of

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

, the 33rd President of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is celebrated on May 8 in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

as a state holiday and nationally by the

United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is a Centre-left politics, center-left political parties in the United States, political party in the United States. One of the Major party, major parties of the U.S., it was founded in 1828, making it the world's oldes ...

. Truman is the only U.S. President to come from Missouri, hence the significance to the state. For Missouri state employees, this is a paid holiday.

Origins

Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

(1945–1953), an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from Missouri (1935–1945) and briefly as

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

(1945) before he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, upon the death of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. He was president during the final months of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, making the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman was unexpectedly elected in his own right in 1948. He presided over an uncertain domestic scene as America sought its path after the war, and tensions with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

increased, marking the start of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Post-presidency, Truman was a popular figure in Missouri, with Truman Day rallies having been held in

Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County, Missouri, Butler County in southeastern Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 ...

since at least 1966. However, May 8 was not officially designated a state holiday until June 1967 with the passage of House Bill 154. Governor Warren E. Hearnes celebrated the first Truman Day by unveiling a statue of Truman at Culver-Stockton College in

Canton, Missouri Canton is a city in Lewis County, Missouri, Lewis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,774 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Canton is the home of Culver-Stockton College, a small liberal arts college affiliated with ...

in 1968. In 2010, Missouri Governor

Jay Nixon Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

proposed abolishing the holiday in an effort to reduce the state's budget; however, the effort was unsuccessful.

References

External links

State employees still get Truman Day off — this year at least ...

Section 9-035 May 8, Truman Day.

Holidays: Truman Day in the United States
{{US Holidays State holidays in the United States May observances Harry S. Truman Presidential birthdays in the United States Missouri culture

Origins

See also

References

External links