Alert

WASHINGTON – On the 131st anniversary of the birth of Missouri native and former U.S. President Harry S. Truman, U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.) today introduced renewed legislation that would rename Washington, D.C.’s iconic Union Station the “Harry S. Truman Union Station.”

“I am honored to work in the office that Harry Truman worked in when he was a senator, and his legacy as president does Missouri and our nation proud,” said Blunt. “Naming the train station in our nation’s capital after President Truman is a fitting tribute to his accomplishments and his character.”

“It’d be a real tribute to have the train station just a short walk from the Capitol, that played such an important role in his presidency, bear the name of this great leader,” McCaskill said. “I’ve been honored to help carry on Truman’s legacy by serving in the Senate seat he once occupied, and help lead the oversight panel he founded. A Missouri straight-talker and one of America’s most well-respected Presidents, Harry Truman deserves a memorial in Washington that’s fitting of his great legacy and vast accomplishments.”

Union Station was home to the Presidential rail car, U.S. Car No. 1, which was used extensively by Truman during his time in the White House. When Truman left Washington, D.C., aboard the train car to embark on his famous “whistle-stop campaign” tour, his journey began and ended at Union Station. The day after his reelection, Truman returned to Washington, via Union Station. As he made his way from Union Station to the White House, more than 750,000 people welcomed him back to the city. Following the inauguration of President Eisenhower in 1953, Truman departed from Union Station by train one last time with his wife, Bess. More than 5,000 people squeezed on the platform to see them off.

While in office, Truman successfully advocated for the creation of the United Nations, passed the Marshall Plan after World War II, and oversaw the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Domestically, Truman formulated the “Fair Deal,” in which he called for a national healthcare system, higher minimum wage, and more education funding, among other goals.

Congress has the authority to rename Union Station through legislation since the station is owned by the federal government.