President’s Day was the first national holiday to honor an American. The federal government established President’s Day in 1880 to recognize President George Washington’s birthday. Read more fun facts about Missouri-born president Harry Truman and other fun presidential tidbits.

Harry Truman and Missouri

33rd
Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States serving from 1945 to 1953.

1884 to 1972
Truman was born in Lamar, MO on May 8, 1884 and died on December 26, 1972 in Independence, MO. He is the only president born in Missouri.

1,422,429
Estimated number of school age Children in Missouri, 5 to 17 years old, enjoying a day off from school in honor of President’s Day.

United Nations
In 1945, Harry Truman witnessed the signing of the charter for the United Nations.

Famous Quote
Harry Truman was known for his famous quote, “The buck stops here.”

Fair Deal
Truman’s 21-point program, expanding Social Security, the Fair Practices Employment Act, and public housing and slum clearance.

Dewey’s Goat
The name of Truman’s pet goat.

Piano
Truman was an accomplished pianist and practiced two hours a day.

Television
Truman was the first president to have his Inauguration and speeches televised.

Attempted Assassination
On November 1, 1950 two men, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola tried to unsuccessfully assassinate President Truman.

Atomic Bomb
After an urgent plea for Japan to surrender was rejected, Truman ordered atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II.

Bank Clerk
Harry Truman worked as a bank clerk, farmer, and railroad timekeeper before becoming a US senator, vice president and then president.

United States

Virginia
The birthplace of more United States presidents than any other state, followed by Ohio then Massachusetts.

24
The number of presidents that served in the military during a war.

George Washington	Abraham Lincoln	Theodore Roosevelt
James Monroe	Andrew Johnson	Harry Truman
Andrew Jackson	Ulysses Grant	Dwight Eisenhower
William Henry Harrison	Rutherford Hayes	John Kennedy
John Tyler	James Garfield	Lyndon Johnson
Zachary Taylor	Chester Arthur	Richard Nixon
Franklin Pierce	Benjamin Harrison	Gerald Ford
James Buchanan	William McKinley	George Bush

Preacher
James Garfield was the only preacher to ever become President of the United States. He was an ordained minister who used his speaking ability to preach and teach.

Unopposed
George Washington and James Monroe were the only two presidents who ran unopposed.

Never Ran
Presidents who never ran for president were:
John Tyler – Death of William Henry Harrison
Millard Fillmore – Death of Zachary Taylor
Andrew Johnson – Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Chester Arthur – Assassination of James Garfield

Lawyers
Twenty three presidents were lawyers.

John Adams	Millard Fillmore	William Taft
Thomas Jefferson	Franklin Pierce	Woodrow Wilson
John Quincy Adams	James Buchanan	Calvin Coolidge
Abraham Lincoln	Rutherford Hayes	Franklin Roosevelt
Andrew Jackson	Chester Arthur	Richard Nixon
Martin Van Buren	Grover Cleveland	Gerald Ford
John Tyler	Benjamin Harrison	Bill Clinton
James Polk	William McKinley

Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John Kennedy were assassinated while President of the United States.

Four Terms
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president to have served four terms, 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944.

Non-consecutive
Grover Cleveland was the only president to have served two non-consecutive terms as president.

Sources:
www.whitehouse.gov
www.heptune.com
www.trumanlibrary.org
www.wikipedia.org
US census Bureau