In June of 1953, a recently retired executive and his wife got in their brand new car, just the two of them, and embarked on a road trip that covered several states, 19 days, and over 2,500 miles. Just another retired couple taking a long vacation to sight see and visit friends and family, right?
Hardly, because the couple in question was the recently-left-office President of the United States, Harry Truman and his wife, Bess. Author Matthew Algeo has written a fascinating and entertaining book, "Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure" (2009), that chronicles the Trumans' road trip. Not only is it an interesting historical account (hey, this is Harry Truman , one of the great Presidents we're talking about here), but it is also an interesting travelogue, and a commentary on how America and the Presidency, or, rather, the Ex-Presidency, has changed over the last 60 years.
Imagine, if you will, if Bill and Hillary or George W. and Laura decided to pack up a car and ramble about the country for three weeks with no security detail, no entourage, all by their lonesomes. Unimaginable, right? Well, in 1953, Harry Truman left office with no job, no personal fortune (not even a small nest egg), and no presidential pension, only a $111/month Army pension (interestingly, Truman got a pension for serving as an enlisted man for a few years during WW I, but nothing for serving 7+ years as Commander-in-Chief), no government expense account to support an office staff. Pretty bleak. That, however, was pretty much the way it was with ex-Presidents back then, and that was pretty much OK with Harry Truman.
After a few months in retirement, Harry accepted an offer to deliver a speech in Philadelphia, and he and Bess decided to drive there from Independence, MO. During that trip they visited and sometimes stayed with friends, ate anonymously (sometimes) in roadside diners and family owned restaurants, and stayed in cheap motels, ans even got pulled over by a PA state trooper on the PA Turnpike! While they were sometimes able to remain incognito on the trip, they usually were recognized and were warmly greeted by the folks that they encountered. Algeo retraces the trip, and re-visits the places that Harry and Bess visited, and talks to the people that they encountered, and gives you a fascinating look at America before there were Holiday Inns, Wal-Marts, McDonald's, and big box retailers. You also get to encounter two young US Senators who had big things ahead of them, Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and you get to learn some insights, through Harry's eyes, on people such as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Herbert Hoover.
By 1958, Congress realized that former Presidents should not be near indigent, and passed the first law that granted a pension and expenses to ex-Presidents, and after the Kennedy assassination in 1963, Secret Service protection was continued for ex-Presidents and their wives as well. At that time, these were relatively modest sums of money, but we all know how that has worked out since then. When Bill Clinton was in office, there was a point when there were five Formers (as they apparently refer to themselves) still alive, and the cost of Secret Service protection alone amounted to over $20 million a year.
Truman never accepted high paying figurehead jobs or Board of Directors positions (and he was offered such opportunities). He felt that it commercialized the Presidency and was undignified. Again, we know how it works today. Algeo gives the credit, if that's the right word, to Gerald Ford for turning the Post-Presidency into a gold mine. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton received, and receive, millions for speaking engagements. Ironically, the one Former who was most like Harry in how he operated during his Ex-Presidency was Richard Nixon who was one of two politicians that Truman truly hated (the other was some local Missouri pol).
This is not a long and ponderous historical tome, but an entertaining and most readable book that chronicles a small portion of the life of one of the twentieth century's great figures, and shines an interesting light on an America that was and is no more.
By the way, regular readers may recognize the name of Matthew Algeo. He is also the author of the book "The President is a Sick Man" about a secret operation performed on President Grover Cleveland back in 1893. I wrote about that book in The Grandstander back in July. He comes up with some amazing chronicles about our Presidents. I can't wait to see what he might have up his sleeve for the future.
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