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The Man Who Loved Roads

Harry S. Truman was one of the leaders of the "Good Roads" movement. He inherited this interest from his father John, who was road overseer in Washington Township Missouri in 1913. Harry Truman later became county judge in Jackson County, and was in charge of appointing road overseers. After losing re-election in 1924, he sold memberships in the Kansas City Automobile Club and then became President of the National Old Trails Road Association. After being re-elected in 1926, he helped get Jackson County out of the mud, with one of the largest local road-building programs in the US ensuring an all-weather (i.e. paved) road served every farm.

Ultimately as President, he could have been father to the Interstate System, which was planned, but not funded during his administration, had the Korean War not intervened and made funding scarce.

References:

The Man Who Loved Roads , May/June 2002 Public Roads

Harry S. Truman on Good Roads

Posted by David Levinson on March 21, 2008 01:48 PM |

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