Word: truman
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...anybody who craves job security. Typically, chiefs of staff burn out or are eased out in less than two-and-a-half years. The last one to survive an entire presidency was John R. Steelman, a onetime hobo who held the post for six years under Harry Truman, at a time when the staff was much smaller and the job title was "assistant to the President of the United States...
...Some Presidents have a hard time being instantly shrink-wrapped on Inauguration Day. One minute he is the Leader of the Free World; the next, he's history. "What a great change can come to a man in a matter of moments," the departing Harry Truman told a friend after Dwight Eisenhower's swearing in. Adjusting to a sudden power outage can be a remarkable challenge. Eisenhower had to be taught how to dial the phone. Calvin Coolidge was frustrated that people didn't always realize he was no longer God. "People seem to think the presidential machinery should keep...
...Presidents include writing books, launching foundations, going fishing - and making money. George Washington returned to Mount Vernon to find it in a terrible state. He had to sell off land to make repairs, since eight years away had "despoiled my buildings but also deranged my private affairs." Truman, who had only modest savings and $112.56 a month from his Army pension, had to take out a bank loan in his last couple of weeks in office and could barely afford the stamps to answer all the letters that came in. It wasn't until 1958 that Congress got around...
...take an interest in the greater good. Rutherford B. Hayes became president of the National Prison Association after taking notice of the atrocious living conditions most imprisoned Americans endured. Herbert Hoover, reviled for years because of his contribution to the Great Depression, earned a second chance when Harry Truman asked him to head the Famine Emergency Commission - responsible for distributing food to nations devastated by World War II - and another commission tasked with reorganizing the government and eliminating waste. President Carter, of course, established the Carter Center, devoted to supporting human rights around the world and won the Nobel Peace...
...Harry Truman, who became the holder of the first Medicare card for his support of the legislation, also succeeded in getting a bill passed in 1958 that provided former presidents with a pension, staff, and office space. Prior to that, ex-presidents received no such retirement benefits (Truman was fairly broke when he left office). And finally, Richard Nixon mediated a baseball umpire's strike in 1985. We don't know what to make of that either...