Postcard studio portrait photo taken in 1918 of future U.S. President Harry S. Truman in uniform while serving in France, during the First World War. It is noted that this photo was given to John A. Hatfield in France in 1918 and returned to Harry S. Truman in January 1962.
Harry S. Truman began military service in 1905, enlisting in the National Guard and serving until he was discharged in 1911. When the United States joined the war in 1917, Truman reenlisted in the National Guard even though he was exempt from the draft due to poor eyesight. In March 1918, Truman was deployed to France with the 129th Field Artillery Regiment, 35th Division, and was promoted to Captain that July. By the end of the First World War, Truman had earned the reputation as an excellent artillery commander. He was discharged in May 1919, and was appointed as a Major in the Officers Reserve Corps shortly after. He remained a reservist until the 1940s, rising to the rank of Colonel in that time. Truman even volunteered for active duty when the US first entered the Second World War but Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall refused his offer.
Following his military service, Harry S. Truman operated a clothing store in Kansas City that went bankrupt in 1922. He then entered local politics, winning election as a judge on the Jackson County Court. After losing reelection in 1924, he ran again in 1926 as presiding judge, won, and held the position until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1934. After 10 years as the Senator from Missouri, Truman was nominated as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s running mate for the 1944 Presidential election. They won the election. Truman served as Vice President from January until April 1945 when Roosevelt died and Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States. He served for the remainder of Roosevelt’s term, and was successfully reelected at the 1948 Presidential election. During his presidency he oversaw the end of the Second World War, the rebuilding of postwar Europe through the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, the start of the Cold War containment policy, and the desegregation of the U.S. military.
The colorized photograph above shows Harry S. Truman standing in front of a scenic painted backdrop at a postcard studio in France. He is wearing a Brodie helmet (M1917 Helmet) and U.S. Army uniform typical of an artillery officer which would have been olive drab color. His uniform is on display at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri.
