image source: National Park Service
(first posted 5/14/2014) May 8th is President Truman’s birthday. Earlier this year, I wrote an article (here) chronicling the various Chrysler products President Truman owned in his lifetime and a short time later, my family and I visited the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri.
A Mr. Hyde (not of Robert Louis Stevenson fame) gave us the tour around the grounds before taking us into the house. When he pointed to the garage where Truman’s 1972 Newport is parked, I had to ask more questions and mentioned the article I’d written about the former president’s cars. Unlike the guide from my visit there in 1999, Mr. Hyde was very knowledgeable.
He stated the garage is opened during brief times of the year so the Chrysler is visible. When I asked about the condition of the Chrysler, I learned it is no longer brought outside as seen in the picture above nor it is being maintained as it had been. Rather, all fluids have been drained and it has been put on blocks.
One very interesting tidbit: Truman probably never drove this car, nor did he likely ever drive the ’69 Newport that preceded it. In 1967, President Truman fell while in the bathtub of his home. The extent of the injuries stemming from the fall is undisclosed, but Truman never spoke in public after that point nor did he ever drive again.
Photo by E.C. Shafer
As an aside, if you do make ever make it to the Kansas City area, a stop here is well worth the time. The house is unchanged from the time Bess Truman died in 1982 and Truman’s hat and coat are still hanging near the staircase. The only indication of Truman having been President is the place setting of White House china on the bottom shelf of the china cabinet in the dining room. I also learned that every President from Eisenhower to Carter has been in the house, with Johnson visiting six times. Who stayed the longest? Richard Nixon, at twenty-nine minutes. He played the piano for the Trumans.
Related reading: 1971 Chrysler New Yorker, 1971 Plymouth Fury III, 1972 Plymouth Fury Suburban,
Sad that he fell .. 🙁
I know! One slip and it’s all over :(.
Considering what Truman thought of Richard Nixon, I’m surprised he got past the front door, much less played the piano.
Truman was a remarkably candid President ..the only one to openly admit publicly and on record that UFO’s had become something that the US had had to contend with buzzing around all over the place after the first nukes and then Roswell..
interestingly, if you look online, July the 8th is being touted as ‘World Disclosure Day’ .. (wtf) lol
I read once that Harry Truman cared neither for Nixon or his piano playing. IIRC, Nixon waltzed in, sat down and starting playing before HT could say or do anyting.
I did not know that Truman spent his last 5 or so years likely nursing his injuries. But, I seem to recall seeing some film of him from about 1966 and he appeared quite old and a bit frail – but in very good spirits.
I’ve been to the Truman library twice, once as a child and once as an adult. Enjoyed it quite a bit. I’ve never been in the house, but we drove past it on my childhood trip when Mrs. Truman was still living there.
I don’t have any great knowledge on this, but I think Johnson appreciated Truman and probably sought his counsel as the last wartime President before him (Eisenhower mostly wound down Korea).
A clean green Newport certainly fits the stereotype of a little old lady car. We did have some family types in my neighborhood that drove these. Something about the fuselage body makes them seem extra huge.
lbj was a congressman when truman was in the senate. both were loyal new deal democrats from the south who were active in civil rights. both were vice presidents who came to office at the death of a president. i would imagine there was a strong bond between the two.
LBJ was a criminal.
That’s my understanding, too. Most people may be unaware, but he allegedly had more than a few people killed – in order to advance his career. And, vote fraud shenanigans.
If you read about him, and not just some white washed biography, he was a very nasty power hungry man.
Also a lot of shady stuff regarding JFK.
One Secret Service agent reported that 40 seconds before the first shot (Nov. 22, 1963), LBJ was ducked down in his seat. He could not even be seen when the first shot was heard, while his wife and others were still sitting up straight. A Dallas P.D. motorcycle cop told the same story.
Seems to me to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination by LBJ.
LBJ famously stole the Senate seat from Governor Coke Stevenson in 1948 – that’s when he earned the title “Landslide Lyndon”. They voted the dead in alphabetical order in Duval county and their votes were “discovered” after it looked like LBJ had lost.
LBJ had political fixer Abe Fortas lobby the Supreme Court not to hear the case – they didn’t. LBJ later rewarded Fortas by appointing him a Supreme CT justice and then appointed him Chief Justice but Fortas was forced off the court by the Senate.
Read the award winning book by Robert Caro “Means of Ascent”. Caro is LBJ’s definitive biographer and has spent more than 3 decades on the series.
LBJ also more or less stole the broadcast licenses that made him a millionaire.
well, if we’re going to go into the whole conspiracy thing… in caro’s latest installment of the lbj biography, he relates a story about a huge ruckus when connally insisted on being in the kennedy car instead of another car as originally intended. lbj was apoplectic and tried to talk him out of it. this is suspicious because lbj considered connally to be his protege and close friend.
..that shade of green brings back memories ..Chrysler Australia used it on the CJ 360 Limo of ’73 that my dad had that year complete with cream vinyl top and light beige brocade upholstery ..my own CJ 360 (a few years later in ’88) was canary yellow with a black vinyl top and dark brown brocade upholstery.. 18 mpg ..not bad for 5900cc (the little two barrel carb helped with the ‘good’ economy ..none of our NZ cars had any emission gear on them whatsoever back in those earlier days, and that also helped of course
Yeah even 80s NZ cars have all the ADR crap deleted Aussie mandated and in NSW must be present to get a roadworthy cert annually.
Thanks for the follow-up, Jason. I have always been fascinated by elderly people who buy a car or two after they have stopped driving. My mother’s Aunt Alma never drove. After her husband died, she kept his black ’55 Cadillac Fleetwood. In 1963, she decided it was getting old and bought a new 63 Fleetwood. And never drove it. Eventually her son and grandkids took it over and mostly wore it out before I bought it for $400 in 1979.
I believe that the Trumans employed a driver in their later years. There may be some reference to this in David McCullough’s biography titled
“Truman”.
I can’t get over how gorgeous that Newport is. That’s all!
I definitely love the old fuselages. They appear so huge. And that is a great shade of green. Will green ever make a comeback as a popular color?
I personally love the fuselage Chryslers, and I prefer the sedans over the hard tops. I liked the ’74-’78 even more, are they considered fuselages along with the ’69-’73 models? I did not like the ’65-’68 bodies, however. Interesting that Truman would own a Newport, rather than a New Yorker or Imperial. Says volumes about the man.
From my time wandering around online C-Bodyland, the shorthand seems to be that ’65-’68 cars are “slabs” and ’74-’78s are “formals,” with the fuselage designs in between.
You are correct sir in as much as I own a Slab and a Formal.
And to clarify a misconception, Mopar C-bodies ran only from the 1965 model year to the 1978 model year. None before and none after.
Reference to the C body dates earlier than 1965. Jim Whipple, auto editor for Popular Mechanics, discussed the new Dodge 880 in the March, 1962, issue of his “Detroit Listening Post” column (page 104).
Mr. Whipple states the 880 will be a big brother to the Dart and Polara, with a 122″ wheelbase.
With that, Mr. Whipple wrote, “You guessed it, the 880 is Chrysler Corporation’s “C” body shell shared with Chrysler Newport and “300”.”
Makes sense to have “C” body appear for 1962. After all the “B” body was new that year and was called the “B” body. And Imperial’s body was referred to as the “D” body at that time.
Both stories on Truman were excellent. It would be interesting if Curbside Classics did a story on the cars of all of the presidents.
Thank you.
There are a few notable people whose names are dancing in my head; research has began on one of them. While not presidents, they are people who will capture interest due to their accomplishments, legacy, etc.
All I can say is that in researching one of them, I did discover a pickup used by Billy Carter.
Jason, looking forward to the next piece – great teaser.
First Families and their personal cars have interested me for a long time but some are more well documented than others – in part because most presidential biographers are not interested in cars themselves.
Thinking of the immediate post-Truman presidents, Eisenhower would be fairly easy to research as he owned few cars due to his military career, and those few were mostly post-Presidency: the Imperial, Mamie’s Valiant, the Crosley, etc used at Gettysburg Farm.
Despite growing up with limousines and drivers, JFK had a number of cars during his short life, mostly convertibles including the 37 Ford his father bought for him to take on ship for his European trip that year. JFK was a notoriously bad driver, reckless and inattentive and was probably better off being driven by someone else. His father’s cars would be the subject for an interesting piece – he owned Buicks, Cadillacs, Rolls-Royces, Imperials. I believe that Rose drove a Corvair on the Cape at one point.
Prior to his move to NYC following his defeat in the California gubernatorial election in 62, Nixon must have had quite a few cars, including the infamous Oldsmobile mentioned, along with Pat’s good Republican cloth coat, in the Checkers Speech in 52. I have a friend who worked with him when he was an attorney in Whittier in the early 60’s who I can ask – though he despised Nixon then and now so probably didn’t pay much attention to what he drove:-) Nixon was notoriously non-mechanical and I doubt he really enjoyed driving that much and happily gave it up when they moved to NYC.
LBJ had a variety of Cadillacs, Imperials, and the famous Lincoln convertibles used on the ranch, and he bought the girls Corvette and Corvair convertibles. What an image, portrayed in Caro’s and others’ books, of the President speeding in an open convertible with a glass of Scotch in hand. Things just aren’t the same today.
Skipping ahead to Reagan, I’ve seen the mention of several cars in the biographies, including Cadillac convertibles driven by him and Jane Wyman, and Ford Country Squire wagons and Lincoln Continentals driven by him and Nancy. For a time Reagan had a great fear of flying and traveled everywhere by train for GE. He later drove around the state in a Lincoln Continental during his first gubernatorial race but finally recognized that he needed to begin flying. I think he was probably happier behind the wheel of a pick-up on the ranch than anything else.
No matter who occupies the office, the modern presidency is just so “imperial” compared to the days of Truman, and the dangers are so great that presidents and ex-presidents pretty much have to abandon the thought of driving themselves anywhere. This situation makes the whole Truman story, especially of the one last road trip, so fascinating.
From what I recall, there is a Mercury Woody wagon at the Nixon Library that he used to campaign back in the early 50’s. I don’t think its the actual car, but a recreation of the car.
The Regan Ranch has a couple of Jeeps that the President used to drive when he was on the property, including an beautiful blue 1981 Scrambler with a custom “RR” car cover and this older non-roll bared 60’s Jeep(CJ-6?) its so interesting to see the Chief Executive driving this old rough manual steering and transmission Jeep with jeans and jacket.
I’ve seen that wagon at the Nixon library. I’ve read that Nixon drove Oldsmobiles. Besides the one mentioned in the 1952 Checkers speech, identified as “two years old,” I seem to recall seeing a picture of him in a 58. I’m also pretty certain he cared little for cars.
The minute I posted this last night I remembered Reagan’s Jeeps. Perfect for the ranch. I’ve never seen the ranch, only the library.
There’s a lot written about the official cars of the presidents. Not nearly as much about the private ones. I remember seeing a Rolls in the garage at the Woodrow Wilson House on S St in DC and looked up references to him and cars and found this, talking about Wilson and technology:
“Most of all, however, Wilson loved automobiles. Although he never learned to drive, he went out for rides every day as president and continued the practice after he left office. During his presidency he had a small fleet of cars for his use and proposed the first National Highway legislation. Upon leaving the White House in 1921, friends purchased his favorite Pierce Arrow from the government for his use on S Street. On December 28th 1923, Wilson’s last birthday, he received a new Rolls Royce Silver Ghost limousine from his Princeton friends as a present.”
Here’s a pic of Regan driving Premier Gorbachev around Rancho del Cielo in the Scrambler.
But if you really want a mind blower…Regan had a Subaru BRAT too, its on display at the Regan Ranch.
Thanks for the bits about Harry S Truman. I have studied him extensively, but you uncovered a tidbit in your first piece I had not discovered previously—HST and his wife DROVE home from DC his term ended. I wish more of our “leaders” were modest enough to be seen driving a car. —We could learn so much about them….! What car…how skillfully driven….accessories…inquiring minds want to know!
–Rumor has the the last car current POTUS drove was a leased Chrysler 300M—yes, the one with the Hemi V8. SShhhh….don’t tell the greens!
It’s reported that he drove a Chrysler 300C…until he decided to run for the presidency. At about that same time, he traded it in for a Ford Escape Hybrid:
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/elfd45fjee/barack-obama-ford-escape-hybrid/
Whatever his motivation, it appears he wanted to be (or appear to be) “greener.”
When the 2008 campaign began, then-candidate Obama was driving a Chrysler 300C. He began driving the Escape Hybrid because, during the campaign, he criticized Detroit for building large, V-8 powered vehicles, and asked why they keep building them.
Someone replied that they keep building them because people like him keep buying them.
When he hung around Norb Andy’s in downtown Springfield, he drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I know. I hung around Norb Andy’s too. Obama bummed smokes off of everyone. We pretty much all knew him. That’s why I never voted for him. I knew him.
In the first article, I was too trustful of some information I encountered…
Truman came home on the presidential train car in early 1953 (the one used in his ’48 campaign); a few months later, he and Bess made a road trip to New York in their ’53 Chrysler New Yorker. When I purchased tickets for the home last week, I purchased “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure” by Matthew Algeo. While I am only up to Chapter 2, the introduction talked about how the road trip was the first and last time any US President made such a trip as the Truman’s did not receive Secret Service protection until the mid-’60s.
A fun book.
When my grandad died in 1974 we inherited his barely used ’72 Chrysler New Yorker. That became the party mobile when I reached driving age. I really enjoyed this article, nice job Jason.
I know this is about the cars, but what a lovely old house. That had to have been built when a house like this was the center of a family’s universe — steady and unchanging, welcoming and restful.
The house was built in 1867 with two additions before roughly 1890. It has been so well constructed and merged that nobody is quite sure what the additions are. The shape of the original house is known due to an old photograph.
What’s interesting about the house is how “plain” it is on the inside. It’s spacious, but the décor is hardly upscale. When we visited it in June of 2009, I remarked to my wife and brother that the Truman kitchen reminded me of our grandmother’s kitchen, which had last been remodeled by my grandfather right after World War II. And he was no home improvement expert.
Of the 1969-73 fuselage Chrysler’s I’ve always thought the 1972’s were the best looking of the bunch due to the stylish front end, I’ve always liked the front end’s of the 1972 full size Chrysler’s, I wish they weren’t so hard to find compared to the GM vehicles of this vintage.
The photo of the Chrysler makes it look “tight” and very clean in design – much more contemporary than the GM and Ford cars of the early 1970s. Which is ironic, as we thought that the big Mopars were plain and dated next to the GM cars, which were considered to be the full-size styling leaders in the early 1970s.
The 1973 facelift necessary to accommodate the 5-mph bumpers ruined this car, along with the Plymouth Fury. The 1973 Dodge Polara was actually an improvement over the 1972 model, which I’ve always thought was the ugliest full-size cars of the 1970s. Our neighbors had a metallic gold 1972 Polara four-door sedan, and I thought that the car was ugly then. The passage of time has not improved its looks.
Chrysler design alumnus Jeff Godshall says he thinks the 73 Fury is the best fuselage Plymouth. The 73s fuselages don’t have 5 mph bumpers; just the big black bumper guards.
Now that I think of it, I saw a woody wagon that Goldwater used in his campaign at a show last year. Let me see if I can find the pics.
I wonder what would have happened to all those big cruisers if the oil crisis didn’t hit in 1973. Maybe they would have grown in size to dimensions beyond believe.
PS: In my mind best fuselage Chrysler is Newport Town&Country wagon.
Particularly the one John Lennon drove in NYC.
Did Truman smoke a pipe ?
Truman never smoked. His father whipped him when he was caught smoking behind the barn back when Harry was a kid. Bess was a tennis athlete who hated smoking. Harry didn’t smoke.
I toured the house of Harry Truman a few years ago. As mentioned by Geeber above, I was impressed by the simplicity of the house and its furnishings compared to presidential estates since that time.
Truman was the last non-college educated president, and the last Democrat president with any business experience. He got along famously with FDR and covered this backside during WWII with his Truman Committee. It worked so well, FDR named him his VP choice in ’44.
Truman always appealed to the middle class and his no nonsense straight talk got him elected in squeaker elections more than once as senator and as president. His wife and his mother in law hated Washington and Truman was a bachelor during most of his Washington years.
Carter left the Navy early to run his dead father’s peanut business.
FDR drove a 1936 Ford Phaeton with hand controls. It is displayed at the presidential museum in Hyde Park NY.
Martin Van Buren lived about 50 miles up the road from FDR. No cars at all there but he had a beautiful house and farm.
I have been to Calvin Coolidge’s birthplace in Plymouth VT a couple times. No cars there either but there are some farm wagons, buggies etc. in the barn.
Also no cars at Jefferson’s, Madison’s or Teddy Roosevelt’s homes. I guess I have been visiting the wrong presidents.
If there isn’t a 100″ wb Nash Rambler/early Rambler American at Grover Cleveland’s place, their should be. Not that he drove one, but they both have non-consecutive terms in office/production in common.
Not only did FDR’s Ford Phaeton have hand controls, it also had this gizmo that would flip him lit cigarettes.
FDR’s Ford Phaeton not only had hand controls, but this gizmo that would flip him a lit cigarette.
Nixon played the piano? Do tell!
This photo is of Nixon playing for Truman and their wives at the dedication of the Truman Presidential Library (about a mile away from Truman’s home). Everyone’s all smiles in the photo, but if Nixon repeated the performance in Truman’s home, I can see that being a tad irritating.
I read that Nixon played the Missouri Waltz for Truman.
Also that Truman hated the Missouri Waltz.
Famously on the Jack Paar Tonight show.
There were many Nixons. My mentor in graduate studies in history was a Nixon biographer.
Nixon played the piano.
I just read the whole comment thread here. It was a wonderful, bizarre read.
This Chrysler, in four door and station wagon variant, was ALL OVER the suburban neighborhood that I grew up in.
Often in this same shade or green or gold.
I rode quite often in the neighbor’s green station wagon. It’s ice c-cold front AND rear air conditioning was greatly appreciated by all the wagon’s occupants here in perpetually hot & humid New Orleans.
The housewife driver, Miss Imelda, had NO problems with “punching it” and running yellow signal lights, the Mopar “plug ‘n play” 383-4BBL V8 engine and Torqueflite automatic transmission accepting the sudden acceleration challenge,much to the amusement & delight of her sons and me.