It stood for 'S' His mother and father each had a different middle name for him. Both of them started with 'S' and since they couldn't decide, it was just left as 'S'
Truman did not have a middle name, but only a middle initial. It was a common practice in southern states, including Missouri, to use initials rather than names. Truman said the initial was a compromise between the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. He once joked that the S was a name, not an initial, and it should not have a period, but all official documents, and his presidential library all use the name with a period. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S_Truman
Truman did not have a middle name, but he did have a middle initial. Truman explained that the S was a compromise tribute to his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. For years there has been a controversy over whether or not the S should have a period after it; the Harry S. Truman Library does use the period, as does the Government Printing Office, but many people don't because the initial doesn't stand for a name. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/nf/teach/truman/trumandk.html
Truman did not have a middle name, but only a middle initial. It was a common practice in southern states, including Missouri, to use initials rather than names. Truman said the initial was a compromise between the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shippe Truman and Solomon Young. He once joked that the S was a name, not an initial, and it should not have a period, but all official documents, and his presidential library all use the name with a period. The Harry S. Truman Library states publicly that it has numerous examples of the signature written at various times throughout Truman's lifetime where his use of a period after the "S" is very obvious.
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