1404601
Harry S. Truman
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Truman ironically uses the period after his middle initial on personal stationery that omits it
Harry S. Truman, 1884-1972. 33rd President of the United States, 1945-1953. Typed Letter Signed, Harry S. Truman, one page, 7¼" x 10½", on engraved personal stationery, Independence, Missouri, August 31, 1971.
The 87-year-old former President courteously declines an invitation. He writes, in full: “Mrs. Truman and I appreciate your invitation to attend your Seventh Annual Flower Show on September 17, but regret that it will not be possible for us to be with you. / You have our best wishes for a successful event."
This is a beautiful example of Truman's old-age signature. By 1970, arthritis kept Truman from signing his signature with the cursive “S" connected to the “T" as he had done throughout his adult life. As this letter shows, he regressed to the printed “S" and a printed “T."
This letter highlights an interesting bit of Truman trivia. Truman had no middle name. His parents chose the middle initial “S,” standing alone, as a compromise that honored both of his grandfathers, Anderson Shippe Truman and Solomon Young. Truman himself said that the initial could be written either with or without a period after it. Throughout most of his life, he did not use the period in his cursive signature but used it when he printed the “S,” as he did in his old-age signature. When he signed only his initials, he sometimes signed with periods after all three letters, H.S.T., and sometimes without periods at all, HST. Trumanʼs post-presidential personal stationery bore a period after the middle initial apparently until 1964, when for some reason the period was dropped. Thus, ironically, in this letter the stationery has no period, but Truman's signature does.
This letter is in very fine condition. It has two normal horizontal mailing folds, neither of which affects the signature. There are cellophane tape remnants on the back from prior mounting in a frame. Trumanʼs large black ballpoint signature is 3¼" long.
Unframed. Please ask us about custom framing this piece.
This item is no longer available.
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