|
Elizabeth (Bess) Virginia Wallace Truman
Born:
February 13, 1885 Independence, Missouri
Died:
October 18, 1982 Independence, Missouri
Father:
David Willock Wallace (died 1903)
Mother:
Madge Gates Wallace (died 1952)
Ancestry: English
Siblings:
Bess Truman was the oldest of five children: one sister died in infancy and three brothers, Frank Gates Wallace, George Porterfield Wallace and David Frederick Wallace.
Physical Description:
5' 4" tall, blonde hair and blue eyes. Mrs. Truman had a full figure. Her taste in clothes was conservative; she often dressed in suits. Her manner could be somewhat forbidding, but she had a good sense of humor and could be witty and charming with friends.
Religion:
Presbyterian, later Episcopalian
Education and Childhood:
Bess was born and raised in Independence, Missouri. Her parents were from Independence's influential families. Bess' father, David Wallace, had a drinking problem and was unable to provide for his family. This was especially difficult for Bess' mother, who had come from a wealthy family. In 1903, when Bess was eighteen, he committed suicide. The family was very distressed, and Bess' mother retreated into a stony shell of a woman.
Bess had to take over the household and provide strength for her mother, who remained a burden to Bess until her death in 1952.
Bess was a good student and an excellent tennis player. She graduated from Independence High School in 1901. Harry Truman, who she had known since she was five, was in Bess' graduating class. Due to her father's death and her family obligations, Bess had to postpone her education. She developed a controlling manner and sometimes appeared distant, if not cold. Bess later attended the elite Barstow School in Kansas City thanks to financial support from her mother's family. She did well in her courses and also athletically, taking up basketball and the shot put.
Harry Truman and Bess Wallace began to date, although Bess showed little interest in him at first. Madge Wallace (Bess' mother) made it clear from the start that she did not consider Harry Truman her daughter's social equal. Harry continued to court Bess while she attended the Barstow School. Harry and Bess got engaged in 1913 over Madge Wallace's strong objections. When the war started in 1917, Bess wanted to marry immediately. Harry, however, had enlisted and wanted to wait until his return.
Husband: Harry S. Truman (1884 - 1972)
Marriage: June 28, 1919 Independence, Missouri
Age at Marriage: 34 years, 135 days
Personality:
A strong, controlled woman, Bess Truman never allowed her emotions to show publicly. She remained silent in public, but ruled the household behind the scenes. Much to her irritation, Harry often referred to Bess as "The Boss". They adored each other, and Harry used Bess as his anchor. Bess never wanted the public life Harry so craved, but she supported him. As First Lady, Bess Truman would be known for her sharp wit, her taciturn manner and her aloofness in public.
Children:
After two miscarriages, Mary Margaret Truman was born on February 17, 1924.
Years Before the White House:
Due to Madge Wallace's growing dependence on Bess, the Trumans moved into Madge's house early in their marriage. They remained in that house for the rest of their lives.
Harry owned a haberdashery which failed in 1922, after which he decided to run for judge. Although Bess had helped him in the store, she made it clear that she was not interested in politics. When he entered politics, she stayed home. At no time did she give a speech for him. She remained aloof from his political ambitions.
In 1934, he campaigned for a Senate seat. After his election, he managed to persuade "the Boss" to spend half the year in Washington, D.C. and the other half with her mother in Independence. Bess learned to love the life of a Senator's wife. She checked over his correspondence, arranged his schedule and served as his sounding board. Bess even joined the Congressional Club.
In 1941, Bess joined her husband's staff at a salary of $2,400. This created much controversy, which Bess countered by saying that the Trumans, like most Americans, weren't rich and she needed to work to make ends meet.
Bess was not happy to see her husband run for Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt in 1944 and did not like the Secret Service following her. She didn't even stay up on election night to see if her husband had become Vice President.
First Lady:
April 12, 1945 - January 20, 1953: On April 12, 1945 Harry Truman called his wife to tell her that President Roosevelt had died. In Truman's swearing-in photos, Bess appears red-eyed and shocked. She told Eleanor Roosevelt that she could stay in the White House as long as she needed, but Eleanor chose to leave quickly.
Bess wanted to be very different from Eleanor Roosevelt. She began her tenure in the White House by cleaning and cooking. She canceled the weekly press conferences with the First Lady. Her relationship with the press was often frosty; she usually gave them one syllable answers or told them she had "no comment". She refused to give her opinions publicly. Behind the scenes, however, she remained Harry's most active advisor.
Bess presented a formal front publicly. In private, she was a different person. The White House staff found her approachable and fun loving. Her laugh echoed through the halls.
Both Harry's and Bess' mothers spent time in the White House. Madge Wallace, however, never altered her opinion that Bess married beneath her.
By the time of the Truman administration, the White House was in serious need of repair and renovation. The Trumans moved to the Blair House so the White House could be rebuilt from the basement up. Harry Truman added the Truman portico to the south side of the house. In 1952 when the Trumans returned to the White House, it was Harry - not Bess - who took America on a tour via television.
A conflict arose between Bess and Adam Clayton Powell, a black representative, when the DAR refused to allow Powell's pianist wife to play at Constitution Hall. Powell demanded that Bess refuse the DAR's invitation to a tea in protest. Bess wasn't racist, but she simply wouldn't be dictated to. When she attended the tea, Powell launched a verbal attack, calling Bess "The last lady of the land." Harry Truman, who would have preferred that Bess refuse the DAR's invitation, backed his wife's decision nonetheless and later banned Powell from the White House because of his attack on Bess.
A serious conflict arose between Harry and Bess when he made his decision about dropping the atomic bomb without consulting her. Bess didn't like to be left out. She left the White House and went to Independence, leaving Harry Truman to face the aftermath of his decision alone. Some time would pass before Bess was once again her husband's closest advisor. Never again did Harry exclude Bess from his decision-making process.
In the 1948 campaign, Bess made no speeches, but she did appear publicly with Harry on his tour of the country. Harry was elected, and the Trumans spent another four years in the White House.
When the Truman administration ended, Bess was extremely happy to return home.
Life After the White House:
Aside from appearing on the Edward R. Morrow T.V. show, Bess kept a very low profile for the rest of her life. She joined a bridge club, listened to baseball on the radio and, in 1956, arranged her daughter's wedding to Clifton Daniel. She often visited her husband's library. In 1959, Bess underwent a mastectomy.
Harry Truman died in 1972 at age 88. Bess Truman died at age 97 in 1982.
Death: October 18, 1982
Age at Death: 97 years, 247 days
Burial: Truman Library, Independence, Missouri
Legacy:
Bess Truman reflected the ideals of the housewife, mother and helpmate who put her privacy before all else. She won the affections of Americans who applauded her efforts to remain "herself". Behind the public façade was a frank, honest, sharp woman who insisted on full involvement in her husband's career as long as she didn't have to speak out in public and could preserve her privacy.
|
