Harry S. Truman, Age Thirteen
This photograph of Harry S. Truman, aged 13, wearing a bow tie and glasses, was taken by W.A. Hare and Co. in 1897. Truman is wearing a dark jacket, bow tie, and oval spectacles with a thin metal frame. At the time, children did not typically wear glasses, as they were not as fashionable as other types of eyewear, such as eyeglasses, which did not have side arms. The glasses also prevented him from doing rough activities, which might break them.
Truman served in the United States Senate prior to his years in the White House. As vice president during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fourth term, Truman became president upon Roosevelt's death in office in 1945. He was elected president in his own right during the 1948 election, serving from January 20, 1949 to January 20, 1953. During his second term, Truman was the target of an assassination attempt while living in Blair House during a major White House renovation.