Margaret Truman
Margaret Truman, born Mary Margaret Truman on February 17, 1924, in Independence, Missouri, was the only child of Harry and Bess Truman. Her formative years were shaped by her father's political career, which began when he was elected to the Senate in 1934, ultimately leading to his presidency after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in 1945. This transition thrust Margaret into the public eye, where she navigated the challenges of being the daughter of a president while pursuing her interests in music and writing. A trained soprano, she made her debut with the Detroit Symphony in 1947, but gradually shifted her focus to writing in the 1950s after marrying Clifton Daniel and becoming a mother of four.
Truman authored several biographies, including one of her father, "Harry S. Truman" (1972), and then ventured into fiction, particularly mystery novels, starting with "Murder in the White House" (1980). Despite receiving mixed reviews early on, her mystery works gained a loyal readership over time. Throughout her career, she was recognized with honorary degrees from institutions like George Washington University and Wake Forest University, reflecting her contributions to literature and her family's legacy in American politics.
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Margaret Truman
Writer
- Born: February 17, 1924
- Birthplace: Independence, Missouri
- Died: January 29, 2008
- Place of death: Chicago, Illinois
Biography
When Mary Margaret Truman was born in Independence, Missouri, on February 17, 1924, her father was a county judge. Harry and Bess Truman lived in a house built by her great grandfather. Her early childhood was thus spent in a small Midwestern city where she could, for instance, adapt a chicken coop to serve as a clubhouse for her friends. Her mother was the disciplinarian of the family, her father being inclined to spoil her. His political ambitions, however, were destined to change the course of her life. His election to the Senate in 1934 meant that the ten-year- old Margaret (who by then was known by her middle name) would become familiar with the nation’s capital.
She now spent half the year in public school in Independence, the other half in a girls’ boarding school in Washington, D.C. In 1942, by which time her father was chairing a special Senate committee investigating graft and corruption in the awarding of World War II defense contracts, she enrolled in George Washington University as a history and international relations major, earning her B.A. in 1946. Meanwhile her life was changing even more. President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Harry Truman as his running mate in 1944, and Roosevelt’s death the following year thrust Truman’s father into the presidency and the Truman family into the White House.
As the only child of the president of the United States, Truman felt keenly the lack of privacy but also appreciated meeting many prominent and interesting people. Influenced by the musical interest of her piano-playing father, she studied voice, making her debut as a coloratura soloist with the Detroit Symphony on March 16, 1947. Her musical experiences illustrated both the advantages and disadvantages of being the president’s daughter. In an incident made famous by her father’s outraged response to it, one of her concert performances in Washington drew a negative reaction from music critic Paul Hume. Although she continued to perform, she gradually abandoned her singing career in the 1950’s.
On April 21, 1956, she married Clifton Daniel, then a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, and subsequently became the mother of four sons. She also turned her attention to writing, including biographies of both parents. Her Harry S. Truman (1972) became a special selection of the Book of the Month Club in 1973. With the assistance of historian Thomas Fleming, she wrote Women of Courage (1976) and then turned her attention mainly to fiction.
Her fondness for mysteries and her familiarity with the Washington political scene made her choices of genre and settings an easy one. Her first mystery, Murder in the White House (1980), and several subsequent efforts received mixed reviews but as she continued to regularly publish mysteries, critics credited her with a growing mastery of her craft. Her mystery novels have remained popular with her loyal fans ever since. Truman was awarded honorary degrees from her alma mater, George Washington University, as well as Wake Forest University and Rockhurst College.