Friday, April 1, 2011

Harry S. Truman's Signature

Harry S. Truman had no middle name.  He explained the "S" stood for a combination of both his grandfathers' names (Shippe/Solomon) and he once joked that his middle name was S.  Unfortunately, when you're the President of the US, people take you seriously.  From that offhand remark a controversy developed that continues today, with many contending there should be no period after Brother Truman's middle initial.  Truman, no doubt amused by the ruckus, said he had no preference about this, but actions speak louder than words.  Virtually every time Brother Harry signed his name or initialed something, he used a period after the letter "S" in the middle.  He also used the period in all typewritten documents and even had a signature stamp made which included the period.  Although the controversy continues, it seems Truman himself has settled the issue.

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