Mary Margaret Truman Daniel, the only child of former President of the United States Harry S. Truman, died on Tuesday, January 29th at the age of 83. After spending several weeks dealing with an illness resulting from an infection, she passed away at a Chicago Care Facility. Though she first became famous as a result of her political father, she made a name for herself through the mediums of literature and music. During her lifetime, she authored 30 books, including many best-selling murder mysteries, and was the editor of two additional texts.
Born in Independence, Missouri on February 17th, 1924, she attended several different schools before attending George Washington University. There she earned an Associate of Arts Degree and then a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1944 and 1946 respectively. In a moment that must have been truly touching, he father, who had been President for slightly more than a year, gave the commencement speech and presented her with her graduation diploma.
The multi-talented Truman made her debut as a singer in 1947 in front of nearly 20,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl as the kick off for her musical career. She would go on to make several more appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York City, as well as appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. She wasn’t done yet though, as she went on to appear on Ed Sullivan’s “Toast of The Town” before going on several more concert tours.
In 1955 Margaret Truman married an assistant editor with the New York Times named Clifton Daniel. They would go on to have four children (four boys), and remain married until his death in 2000. While raising her family, and after they had all grown, her writing career really took off as she began penning many murder-mystery novels that used Washington D.C. as a backdrop. When she wasn’t tending to those tasks, she served on the board of trustees for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Fund which seeks to help students who plan to go into a career in Government work. She had served as an active member on this board since 1977.
An interesting anecdote from her past, according to her biography on the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum Web-site, is that she stood in for Edward R. Murrow on his television show “Person to Person” to interview her own parents. This probably led to the television show that she hosted for a brief time in 1965 as a co-host on a special events program in Philadelphia. A noted author, singer, philanthropist, and all around good person, Mary Margaret Truman Daniel is one person that will truly be missed.
Citation:
Information For Article Found At:
1). http://www.truman.gov — The Scholarship fund and board that Truman sat on for many years
2). http://www.trumanlibrary.org/mtd-bio.htm — A Web Biography of Margaret Truman’s Life
3). http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/margaret.htm — Facts about Margaret Truman
4). http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/01/29/obit.trumans.daughter.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch — Announcement of Truman’s Death
