Harry Truman Returns to Jackson County Missouri for the First Time as President June 1945

On June 27, 1945, President Harry Truman returned to Jackson County Missouri, where he got his political start, to visit Kansas City and to spend some time at his home in Independence for the first time as President.

It was on this tour that he gave his first and only press conference at the Memorial Building in Independence.

He met with constituents at his office in Kansas City, including a delegation of leaders from Kansas City's African American community. He accepted an honorary doctor of laws degree from Kansas City University. This tour details these events.

University of Central Missouri History Program