Literary Landmark: Harry S. Truman Little White House, Key West
Key West, Fla.
Dedicated: 1994
The Little White House in Key West, Florida was designated a Literary Landmark in 1994 in conjunction with the annual Key West Literary Seminar. The landmark was designated in honor of the thirty-third U.S. president Harry S. Truman.
Harry S. Truman was born May 8th, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. He was an avid reader and frequented his local library. As a young man he would boast having read every book in his local library. Truman’s family could not afford to send him to college, so he made a living doing odd jobs until he fell into politics. He started as a judge and then moved onto the Senate where Franklin Roosevelt asked him to be his running mate for president. Roosevelt won the election, however he was only President for a few weeks before he died. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States in 1945.
Truman began visiting Key West in 1946 for rest and relaxation from the stresses of his presidency. He returned to the Little White House for 175 days during his presidency. During his time there, bills were enacted, budgets and policies were discussed, and the State of the Union address was prepared there.
Numerous presidents and other government officials have visited the Little White House to rest and relax since Truman began doing so in 1946. Harry Truman died on December 26th, 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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