The use of the period after the "S" in Harry S. Truman

In 1962, President Harry S. Truman informed some people in the press that his middle initial "S" should not have a period after it because the "S" didn't really stand for anything. The middle name of S was chosen by his parents so they didn't have to offend either of his grandfathers, who both had names beginning with the letter S.

After the press reported this information it set off a controversy on how editors and writers should handle the spelling of his name. Some people still insist that his name should be spelled Harry S Truman (without the period).

There is much evidence to indicate that President Truman used the period after the "S" both before and after his 1962 remark. The Truman Presidential Museum and Library has many archived documents that clearly show his signature punctuated with the period. Official government publications from the U.S. Government Printing Office now all use the period. There exists an aircraft carrier called the USS Harry S. Truman and a library called Harry S. Truman Library and numerous other state, local, and federal buildings all using the period. Since these versions with the period in them are now the official names for these objects an editor/writer choosing to use the form without the period would look silly and contradictory when he mentioned the President's name alongside one of these buildings or other objects.

By nearly universal consensus, the accepted policy is to include the period after the "S". The U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual says that the period should be used. Most other popular writing style manuals have followed their lead by giving the same advice for the sake of consistency.

Some scholars now believe that President Truman was only trying to be humorous when he suggested that his middle initial should stand bare. He may have briefly toyed with the idea of trying to get people to change it, but he still continued using the period throughout his life. Regardless of how President Truman felt about the issue it doesn't really matter. The writers have agreed that the period looks better and seems more correct -- so it shall be.

2002.11.16@14:24 Shanoyu says As an aspiring historian, I feel it necessary to point out that I have never read a Government or History textbook which used the period when mentioning Harry S Truman's name. This is often a stem in academic bowl questions as well.

Update 11/16/02: There are also a few federal, state, and local buildings that use the "S" without the period. The most notable example is the newly named Harry S Truman Federal Building that houses the State Department. Also we have the Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site and the Harry S Truman National Historic Site.

Despite this I still believe that the accepted practice will always be to use the period. Congress named this building out of ignorance without regard to the practice that was has been accepted by every U.S. government agency. The local politicians of Missouri and Independence have a fondness for the "cuteness" of this silly argument and love to perpetuate it for publicities sake, neglecting the fact Harry S. Truman himself was known to use the period. Since Congress itself gets to name these things the Missouri politicians are able to influence the decision process as most members of Congress are not historians nor archivists like the people at the Harry S. Truman Library who have scoured Truman's own words for evidence.

Particularly telling is the Historical Marker in front of the Truman House (part of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site). The sign says:

TRUMAN HOUSE

Built about 1867 by George Porterfield
Gates, a  mill owner.  President Harry 
S. Truman  and  his wife  Bess Wallace 
Truman,  granddaughter of  Gates, made
this  their  home  from  the  time  of
their  marriage  in 1919.  "The Summer 
White  House"   from  1945  to   1953.

Update 11/26/02: I received back a response from the National Park Service which has a policy of not using the period after the "S".

Dear Mr. Xxxxxxx,

We thank you for your inquiry about whether or not Mr. Truman used a period. It is true that the historical marker in the front yard of the Truman Home is contradictory to our policy of not using the period behind the S in Truman's name. This marker was placed in the yard in 1976 by the City of Independence during Mrs. Truman's lifetime. The National Park Service accepted the sign as part of the donation of the property after Mrs. Truman's death in 1982 and it is now considered part of the historic landscape.

The use of a period or not does seem to be a controversial and a long standing debate. On August 6, 1962, Truman wrote Dr. Jacob Fabrikant of the Institute of Cancer Research - Royal Cancer Hospital in Sutton, Surrey, England. The text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Dr. Fabrikant:

I read your letter of July 25th with a lot of interest. Each of my grandfathers had a name beginning with the letter "S" and my mother and father couldn't agree on which name to give me, along with my first name which they had both agreed on, so they just picked the first letter of the names of each of my grandfathers and gave to me as a middle name.

I never use anything but the "S", sometimes with a period when I am in a hurry and not thinking about it, but it is a name and not an initial and does not need punctuation after it.

Sincerely yours,
Harry S. Truman (Signature stamp included a period)

On August 19, 1970, Truman responded to a student's inquiry in a similar manner when he wrote:

Dear Jim:

The "S" in my name stands for the first letter of the first name of each of my grandfathers. In order to be strictly impartial in naming me for one or the other, I was given the letter "S" as a middle name. It can be used with or without a period.

I appreciate your very kind comments and send you best wishes.

Sincerely yours,
Harry S Truman

Finally on October 13, 1972, Rose Conway, Truman's secretary, responded to a similar inquiry from Rosemary Courtney of Utica, NY with the following:

Dear Miss Courtney:

In reply to your recent letter, the "S" in Mr. Truman's name stands for the first letter of the first name of each of his grandfathers. In order to be strictly impartial in naming him for one or the other, he was given the letter "S" as a middle name. It can be used with or without a period after it.

Sincerely yours,

Rose A. Conway
Secretary to Mr. Truman

This topic, like much of history, is really left up to the interpretation that you choose to accept. This is a perfect example of the contradictions that historians must face during their search through historical record trying to make sense of what little is left available to them versus what has been lost with the individual when they passed.

Michael Hosking
Museum Technician
Harry S Truman NHS
816-254-2720