Harry S. Truman

Note: Harry S. Truman became president on April 12, 1945, after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death due to illness.

First Administration (April 12, 1945-January 20, 1949)

Vice President: none

Secretary of State: Edward R. Stettinius, Jr.; James F. Byrnes (from July 1945); George C. Marshall (from January 1947)

Secretary of the Treasury: Henry Morgen-thau, Jr.; Fred M. Vinson (from July 1945); John W. Snyder (from June 1946)

Secretary of War: Henry L. Stimson; Robert P. Patterson (from September 1945); Kenneth C. Royall (from July 1947); Department disbanded in September 1947 and replaced by Defense Department

Secretary of Defense: (Department created in September 1947 to replace War Department) James V. Forrestal Attorney General: Francis Biddle; Thomas C. Clark (from July 1945)

Postmaster General: Frank C. Walker; Robert E. Hannegan (from July 1945); Jesse M. Donaldson (from December 1947)

Secretary of the Navy: James V. Forrestal (Department disbanded in September 1947) Secretary of the Interior: Harold L. Ickes; Julius A. Krug (from March 1946)

Secretary of Agriculture: Claude R. Wickard; Clinton P. Anderson (from June 1945); Charles F. Brannan (from June 1948) Secretary of Commerce: Henry A. Wallace; W. Averell Harriman (from October 1946); Charles Sawyer (from May 1948)

Secretary of Labor: Frances Perkins; Lewis B. Schwellenbach (from July 1945); Maurice J. Tobin (from August 1948)

Supreme Court Appointments: Harold H. Burton (1945); Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice (1946)

Second Administration (January 20, 1949-January 20, 195s)

Vice President: Alben W. Barkley Secretary of State: Dean Acheson Secretary of the Treasury: John W. Snyder Secretary of Defense: James V. Forrestal; Louis A. Johnson (from March 1949); George C. Marshall (from September 1950); Robert A. Lovett (from September 1951) Attorney General: Thomas C. Clark; J. Howard McGrath (from August 1949); James P. McGranery (from May 1952) Postmaster General: Jesse M. Donaldson

Secretary of the Interior: Julius A. Krug;

Oscar L. Chapman (from January 1950) Secretary of Agriculture: Charles F. Brannan Secretary of Commerce: Charles Sawyer Secretary of Labor: Maurice J. Tobin Supreme Court Appointments: Thomas C. Clark (1949); Sherman Minton (1949)

Family Facts

Father: John Anderson Truman (1851-1914) Mother: Martha Ellen Young Truman (1852-1947)

Wife: Elizabeth “Bess” Virginia Wallace (1885-1982)

Marriage: June 28, 1919 Child: Margaret (1924- )

Harry Truman was the first president to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

His presidential address of October 5, 1947, was the first one ever telecast from the White House. He spoke about the world food crisis.

His presidential inauguration in 1949 was the first one broadcast on television. About 10 million viewers watched the ceremony.