Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri. He was the 34th Vice President (1945) and the 33rd President of the United States (1945-1953), following the death of Roosevelt. He took office April 12, 1945. After he took office the second time, his appointed Vice President was Alben W. Barkley. He was the last president not to receive a college diploma, although he studied law for two years.

Truman participated in World War I while in the National Guard. He was chosen to be an officer, and then commanded a battery in France. In France, Truman’s battery performed very well under fire in the Vosges Mountains. He later rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the National Guard and always remained proud of his military background.

When Truman took office, he was instantly worried with foreign policy. He was tied up with the post war in Europe and the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

When Truman ran for president in 1948, he made it clear that he was a Democrat in the New Deal tradition advocating health insurance and the repeal of the Taft-Harley Act. Many thought he would lose the election, but he pulled it off by defeating his opponent and winning a term in the White House.

Under Truman’s term as president, he was involved with the Cold War, the desegregation of the army, the formation of the United Nations, the second red scare and most of the Korean War. He was folksy, unassuming president, and popularized phrases such as “The buck stops here” and “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

Truman died at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26, 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri. He died of heart, digestive problems. He is buried at the Truman Library.