Who became President after Roosevelt?
Answer
Harry S. Truman
Explanation
Harry S. Truman became President of the United States after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, and served until January 20, 1953. Truman was a former Missouri farmer, World War I artillery captain, county judge, and United States Senator who had served only 82 days as Roosevelt's vice president before being thrust into the presidency near the end of World War II. He had not been told about the Manhattan Project or the major decisions of the Yalta Conference until he took office.
Within four months Truman authorized the use of atomic weapons against Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, ending the war in the Pacific. He led the United States through the early Cold War and shaped the postwar international order.
The Truman Doctrine, announced in March 1947, pledged American support for free peoples resisting communist aggression and led directly to aid for Greece and Turkey. The Marshall Plan, launched in June 1947, provided more than 13 billion dollars to rebuild Western Europe. Truman recognized the new state of Israel within minutes of its declaration on May 14, 1948. He authorized the Berlin Airlift from June 1948 to May 1949, which kept West Berlin supplied during a Soviet blockade. He signed the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, creating NATO.
He committed American forces to defend South Korea after the North Korean invasion of June 25, 1950, in the Korean War, which lasted until 1953. At home, Truman desegregated the United States Armed Forces by Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, one of the boldest civil rights actions of the era. He vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, which Congress passed over his veto.
He survived an assassination attempt at Blair House on November 1, 1950 by Puerto Rican nationalists. Truman won an upset victory over Republican Thomas Dewey in 1948, despite the famous Chicago Daily Tribune headline declaring Dewey the winner. Truman chose not to seek reelection in 1952 after losing the New Hampshire primary to Senator Estes Kefauver.
He retired to Independence, Missouri and died on December 26, 1972 at age 88. His reputation has grown over time.
Why this matters for your test
USCIS asks about Truman because his presidency made decisions that defined the postwar world, including the use of nuclear weapons and the creation of NATO and the Marshall Plan. Knowing Truman helps applicants connect the end of World War II to the start of the Cold War.
Source: USCIS 128 Civics Questions (2025)
