Elizabeth Virginia Truman (; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953 as the wife of President Harry S. Truman. She had previously served as Second Lady of the United States from January to April 1945. At , she was the longest-lived first and second spouse.
She was born in Independence, Missouri, where she kept a home her entire life. She had known Harry since they were children, though she did not return his affections until adulthood. She was strongly affected by the suicide of her father when she was 18, which shaped her opinions about privacy from the public eye and the responsibilities of a spouse. Bess and Harry married in 1919, and Bess spent the following years managing the Truman household and working in her husband's offices as his political career advanced. She was apprehensive about Harry running for vice president in 1944, and she was deeply upset when he ascended to the presidency the following year.
As first lady, Bess avoided social obligations and media attention whenever possible, and she made regular excursions to her home in Independence. She chose not to continue in the regular press conferences carried out by her predecessor Eleanor Roosevelt, believing that her responsibility as a wife was to keep her opinions private. Her influence on her husband's presidency came about in their private conversations, as he would consult her about most major decisions during his presidency. She was also prominent in his reelection campaign, making regular appearances for crowds as he toured the United States. She was greatly relieved when Harry chose not to run for another term in 1952. After her tenure as first lady, Bess lived in retirement at her home in Independence until her death in 1982.
Truman was generally popular among her contemporaries, but her lifelong devotion to privacy has allowed for limited historical analysis. She refused to provide information about herself or her beliefs to journalists during her lifetime, and she destroyed many of her letters after leaving the White House. There is no consensus among historians on her performance as first lady or to what extent she influenced her husband's presidency.
Early life
thumb|left|upright|Portrait of Bess Wallace at age four
Bess was born as Elizabeth Virginia Wallace on February 13, 1885, in Independence, Missouri, to Margaret or "Madge" Elizabeth Gates (1862–1952) and David Willock Wallace. Margaret was the daughter of a businessman, and David was a local politician. Bess was known as Bessie during her childhood, and she had three younger brothers (Frank, George, and Fred). As a child, Bess had a reputation as a tomboy due in part to her propensity for sports, including golf, tennis, horseback riding, shot put, basketball, baseball, and ice skating. She learned dancing and etiquette, and she attended town balls and hayrides of the town's aristocracy. Bess spent the following hours pacing silently in her backyard, first alone and then joined by her closest friend Mary Paxton. Her father's suicide was scandalous, and the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a year to avoid the community's attention. Bess's mother became a lifelong recluse, and the ordeal imprinted upon Bess the belief that a husband and wife should be close partners in everything they do.
After graduating from Independence High School (now known as William Chrisman High School) she studied at Miss Barstow's Finishing School for Girls in Kansas City, Missouri. Bess played on the women's basketball team, and she studied literature and French. As a young woman, Bess enjoyed expressing herself through fashion and hats; in the words of a friend, "Bess always had more stylish hats than the rest of us did, or she wore them with more style." After returning from school, she resumed her role as the head of the family, and she became involved with the community through her bridge club and her charity work with the Needlework Guild. They became informally engaged in November 1913, The newlyweds honeymooned in Chicago and Detroit She joined her husband's staff as a clerk, answering personal mail and editing committee reports when he became chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. She developed relationships with the wives of senators and cabinet members, During her husband's political career, she helped him write his speeches, though she refused to give any of her own. She stayed in the White House until the end of the month before making her first return trip to Independence. She emphasized courteousness and respect for all of her guests, including political opponents and others that she disliked. The responsibility of finding new venues for larger events fell to Bess. Inquiries to the first lady consisted of written questions in advance and the written replies were mostly monosyllabic along with many no comments. When asked why she did not want to give press conferences she replied "I am not the one who is elected. I have nothing to say to the public." The Trumans made their first return to the White House in 1961 on the invitation of the Kennedys. At the time of her husband's death in December 1972, at age 88, she was 87, making them the oldest couple to have occupied the White House up to that time.
thumb|left|Bess Truman (right) watching as President [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson signs Medicare into law]]
Bess was dismayed in the 1972 presidential election, as she opposed the left-wing policies of 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern, and she felt that Thomas Eagleton (who represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate) had been unfairly treated when he was removed from the 1972 Democratic ticket. She agreed to be the honorary chairman of Eagleton's Senate reelection campaign in 1974, and she held a similar position for Stuart Symington in 1976. She also supported Congressional candidate Ike Skelton due to the close relations of their families. She remains the longest-lived first lady in United States history at 97, followed by Rosalynn Carter at 96, Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson at 94, Betty Ford at 93, and Barbara Bush at 92. Truman is also the longest lived second lady in United States history.
She was often contrasted with her predecessor, Eleanor Roosevelt. While Roosevelt was active in politics and an influential public figure, Bess' influence was largely felt behind the scenes at the White House.