Adissatisfied[poisonously partisan Democrat] Truman called repairs from Theodore Roosevelt's administration a "botch job."
Posted on 12/27/2024 7:04:15 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In November 1948, President Harry S. Truman and his family were forced to vacate the White House regarding concerns over the building’s structural integrity. Truman had moved into the White House after taking office in 1945, but a series of incidents — including one in which the leg of his daughter’s piano fell through the floor — affirmed that the residence required extensive renovations. A dissatisfied Truman called repairs from Theodore Roosevelt’s administration a “botch job.” Analysts also suggested that the building deteriorated during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time in office, as the Great Depression and World War II forced FDR to reallocate vital resources away from much-needed repairs.
The Truman family moved into nearby Blair House, a building purchased by the federal government in 1942 to serve as the President’s official guest residence. Though Truman wasn’t pleased with the displacement, he also wasn’t in a rush to return to an unsafe building. The president authorized an extensive renovation that lasted from 1948 until 1952, during which deeper foundations were dug and a steel frame skeleton was added to the White House’s interior. Nearly the entire building was renovated; a balcony installed by Truman in early 1948 was one of the few elements left untouched.
After lengthy delays, Truman moved back into the White House in March 1952, and spent the final 10 months of his presidency there.
While the majority of incumbents seek reelection, seven presidents opted not to pursue a second term: James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Polk declined to run in 1848, claiming to have accomplished his major goals in just four years. Buchanan’s popularity plummeted leading up to the Civil War, and he realized he wasn’t a viable candidate for reelection in 1860.
Hayes opted against running in 1880 having previously vowed to serve only one term. Teddy Roosevelt initially chose not to run as an incumbent in 1908, but returned as a third-party candidate in 1912. Coolidge — who became president upon the death of Warren G. Harding — declined reelection in 1928, saying, “Ten years… is too long for a President in this country.” Truman chose not to run in 1952, believing the country was due for a fresh start. Lastly, LBJ dropped out of the race in 1968, as his popularity declined amid the Vietnam War.
Adissatisfied[poisonously partisan Democrat] Truman called repairs from Theodore Roosevelt's administration a "botch job."
Leslie William Coffelt (August 15, 1910 – November 1, 1950) was an officer of the White House Police, a branch of the Secret Service, who was killed while successfully defending U.S. President Harry S. Truman against an attempted assassination on November 1, 1950, at Blair House, where the president was living during renovations at the White House.August 15, 1910 - November 1, 1950, buried in Arlington National Cemetery |
President Truman had a southern White House in Key West Florida. If any of you go to Key West, take the time to go see it. Cool place and a great tour with interesting info on Truman. One point was that President Truman required his staff to wear hawaiian shirts to staff meetings. And they had to be ugly as hell.
I liked “Giv’em hell Harry”
And they had to be ugly as hell.
The staffers or the shirts?
Love your tag line.
I’ve heard Coffelt’s name mentioned before, but didn’t get the full story. He deserves more recognition, imo.
Thanks! I borrowed it from somewhere, but it's been very heavy in my tagline rotation over recent years. :^)
It used to be possible (prior to 2000) to get tours of the old U.S. Naval Observatory. It was made the vice president’s residence when Humphrey was Veep because he could not afford classy digs. Prior to Humphrey there was no official Veep residence.
The Presidential mansion was constructed because George Washington found the cost of maintaining a home and entertaining in Philadelphia too expensive. Frugal John Adams was nowhere near as rich as Washington. He lived in the Presidential mansion while it was still under construction, though he did not care for the pomp associated with being the head of a republican government.
thanks CG. I didn't know his name offhand, I just remembered that detail from the first time I read about the event (it was a sidebar in some school textbook back in my quill pen days) and as the bowtie guy says on his YouTube videos, his sacrifice at age 40 is history that deserves to be remembered.
Wasn't it Clinton who pardoned the dirty insurrectionist a-holes who attacked President Truman?
We visit it every year. It is also a center for scholars and Presidential family members to convene for presentations, etc. It is totally and completely awesome, restored to the decor of the Truman years. Totally awesome.
I never knew about that attempted assassination or that officer Leslie William Coffelt was killed in that attempt. Thanks for that bit of unknown history, SC.
The CIA was created in 1947.
And it was in 1948 that the White House had to be renovated and extensively bugged.
Truman’s daughter wrote a pretty good biography of her father, and she described that attack in it.
> Prior to Humphrey there was no official Veep residence.
Wow! Didn’t know that! I can understand why Lyndon parked Humphrey at the USNO... :^)
sidebar, 1964 Dims’ convention
https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1179981/posts
We all know there has been a bug infestation in the walls for years.
I spent my last year in the USAF in Key West, working for U. S. Forces, Caribbean. I lived in Navy barracks and worked in a building on the Key West Navy Base, Truman Annex. The Truman House was not open in 1987.
I think the naval observatory became the vp residence by act of Congress in 1974 so it wasn’t used by Humphrey though maybe he started the ball rolling. The transfer may also have been for security reasons. I happened to be on a jury with the charming and tough wife of the Secret Service man and chatted with her during a break. She was named Zumwalt. I asked if her husband was any relation to Adm Zumwalt. She said no, but there was an interesting story. As part of his duties, her husband had to ask Adm. and CNO Zumwalt to give up the Naval Observatory as his residence for the use of the VP.
Zumwalt was CNO from 1970-1974.
It was refurbished, for an extended period, so Ford never lived there before assuming the Presidency. Rockefeller did use it for entertaining, but Mondale was the first to live there. ( https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/life/vpresidence.html 0
I believe he moved across the street to Blair House.
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