(1884–1972) (D-Mo.), businessman and judge; U.S. senator (1935–45); vice president of the United States (1945); president of the United States (1945–53). During his presidency, on July 26, 1948, he issued Executive Order 9980, which established the Fair Employment Board, and Executive Order 9981, which desegregated the armed forces and created the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Forces. He also appointed the PCCR and supported antilynching, anti–poll tax, and permanent FEPC legislation. Following his election in 1948, he strengthened the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, leading to an increase in the filing of briefs against restrictive covenants and segregation in public schools. His loyalty program, however, drew criticism from civil libertarians.
