| Truman Day | |
|---|---|
Harry S. Truman
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| Observed by | United States, Missouri |
| Type | Secular |
| Significance | the birthday of the only U.S. president to come from Missouri |
| Date | May 8 |
| Next time | May 8, 2025 (2025-05-08) |
| Frequency | annual |
Truman Day is a commemorative holiday to celebrate the birth of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. It is celebrated on May 8 in Missouri as a state holiday[1] and nationally by the United States Democratic Party.[2] Truman is the only U.S. President to come from Missouri, hence the significance to the state.[3][4] For Missouri state employees, this is a paid holiday.[5]
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Senator from Missouri
33rd President of the United States
First term
Second term
Presidential and Vice presidential campaigns
Post-presidency
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Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953), an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as a United States senator from Missouri (1935–1945) and briefly as Vice President (1945) before he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was president during the final months of World War II, making the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman was elected in his own right in 1948. He presided over an uncertain domestic scene as America sought its path after the war, and tensions with the Soviet Union increased, marking the start of the Cold War.
Post-presidency, Truman was a popular figure in Missouri, with Truman Day rallies having been held in Poplar Bluff, Missouri since at least 1966.[6] However, May 8 was not officially designated a state holiday until June 1967 with the passage of House Bill 154.[7][8] Governor Warren E. Hearnes celebrated the first Truman Day by unveiling a statue of Truman at Culver-Stockton CollegeinCanton, Missouri in 1968.[9]
In 2010, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon proposed abolishing the holiday in an effort to reduce the state's budget;[10] however, the effort was unsuccessful.[11]
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Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
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|---|---|
| January |
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| January–February |
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| February American Heart Month Black History Month |
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| February–March |
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| March Irish-American Heritage Month Colon Cancer Awareness Month Women's History Month |
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| March–April |
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| April Arab American Heritage Month Confederate History Month |
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| May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month Military Appreciation Month |
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| June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month |
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| July |
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| July–August |
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| August |
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| September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Childhood Cancer Awareness Month |
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| September–October Hispanic Heritage Month |
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| October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month |
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| October–November |
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| November Native American Indian Heritage Month |
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| December |
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| Varies (year round) |
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Legend:
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic grouporsexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies | |
