Bess Truman
Bess Truman (born February 13, 1885 in Independence , Missouri ; † October 18, 1982 there ; actually Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman ) was the wife of US President Harry S. Truman and the First Lady of the USA from 1945 to 1953 .
Bess Truman didn't particularly like life in the White House, especially the lack of privacy. She tried to keep public appearances to an absolute minimum and gave only one press conference in the nearly eight years of her husband's presidency. At this memorable event, the journalists were allowed to submit written questions, which were then mostly answered in monosyllables or with "no comments".
The Trumans returned to their hometown of Independence in 1953 after both terms in office . After the death of her husband in 1972 , she lived in seclusion and finally died at the age of 97, the highest age of all previous first ladies.
Harry and Bess Truman's daughter was bestselling author Mary Margaret Truman Daniel , who u. a. also served on the Board of Truman's Presidential Library in Independence.
literature
- Michael J. Devine: Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace Truman. In Katherine AS Sibley (Ed.): A Companion to First Ladies. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester 2016, ISBN 978-1-118-73222-9 , pp. 476-491.
Web links
- Biography on the White House website
- Bess Truman in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Truman, Bess |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wallace Truman, Elizabeth Virginia (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American first lady |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 13, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Independence , Missouri |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 18, 1982 |
| Place of death | Independence , Missouri |