Harry Truman: A Simple Man

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States. He was born on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri. His parents named him after his uncle Harrison "Harry" Young. The "S" stood for the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Harry didn't have a middle name, just an "S."


Truman had a simple early life. He graduated from high school but didn't attend college. He was the last president to not have a college degree. Bad eyesight kept him from going to West Point.


Instead of college, Truman went to work. He worked on a railroad and at a newspaper. In 1905, he cheated on an eye exam to enlist in the army. He served in Europe during World War I.


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