2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award | February 26, 2024
Former U.S. Senator Roy Blunt will receive the 2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award on April 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri.
President Truman’s grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, will participate in the award ceremony, which will take place at the Truman Library Institute’s annual fundraising dinner, Wild About Harry!
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (February 26, 2024)—The Truman Library Institute proudly announces that the 2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award will be presented to Senator Roy Blunt at the 25th Annual Wild About Harry celebration on April 18, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The award was created by the Truman Library Institute in 2010 to honor the decisive leadership of America’s 33rd president and to recognize individuals with a sustained and distinguished record of serving our nation and its democratic principles. Past honorees include Admiral Michelle Howard; USAID Director Samantha Power; General James Mattis; the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense and CIA director; and U.S. Congressmen James Clyburn and the late John Lewis—all of whom embody the leadership qualities exemplified by Harry Truman: courage, wisdom, foresight, humility, and accountability.
“The Institute is pleased to honor Senator Blunt with the 2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award,” said Alex Burden, executive director of the Truman Library Institute. “Like Truman, Senator Blunt’s service to his community and country has always been grounded in a deep understanding of history and a commitment to bipartisanship. He is a champion of education and has been a tremendous supporter of the civics-education mission at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.”
Senator Blunt’s career in the U.S. Congress includes representing the state of Missouri for 12 years in the United States Senate and 14 years in the United States House of Representatives. Among his many achievements in the Congress, Senator Blunt is one of only two Americans in congressional history to be elected to leadership positions by his colleagues in both the House and the Senate.
In the United States Senate, Roy served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and Senate Rules Committee and led the Presidential Inaugural Committees for the 45th and 46th Presidents of the United States. In addition, Senator Blunt was a member of the Appropriations and Commerce Committees as well as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
As Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, he prioritized federal funding and resources while also raising awareness on critical issues including increased investment in medical research. Senator Blunt has been recognized by numerous health research advocates for his leadership during the COVID crisis and in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease research and mental health. The National Institutes of Health named the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in his honor.
Prior to his tenure in Congress, Senator Blunt was a history teacher, a university president, a county official, and Missouri’s Secretary of State.
Senator Blunt is actively involved in promoting and preserving the arts and history. He has served as a member of the Smithsonian Council of American Art, a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, and currently serves as President of the State Historical Society of Missouri.
“My grandfather loved the United States, loved the work of government, and especially loved his years in the U.S. Senate,” said Clifton Truman Daniel, eldest grandson of President Truman and honorary chair of the Truman Library Institute. “Like his presidential library, the award that bears Harry Truman’s name was created to illuminate the lessons of leadership, encourage bipartisan dialogue, and inspire lives of purpose and service.”
“No president, in such a short period of time, made more consequential decisions than Harry Truman, from ending World War II to safeguarding democracy worldwide, advancing civil rights and strengthening our national defense,” said Senator Blunt. “It is humbling to consider how many consequential decisions Harry Truman had to make, how quickly he had to make them, and how well he made them. I am deeply honored to join the ranks of past award recipients, and to help shine a light on the enduring, and increasingly relevant, legacy of America’s 33rd president.”
The Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award will be presented to Senator Blunt at Wild About Harry on April 18, 2024. Sponsorship packages are available now; event tickets go on sale March 1.
David Von Drehle, honorary chair for the 2024 fundraising event and Washington Post columnist, will participate in the award ceremony.
“Elected to leadership positions in both the House and Senate, Senator Blunt was trusted by members of both parties, which allowed him to pull both sides together to meet the global pandemic,” Von Drehle said of the honoree. “As a history teacher, he was powerfully conscious of walking in the shoes of Harry Truman, and he became one of the best friends the Truman Library and Museum has ever had.”
ABOUT THE EVENT
Since its launch, Wild About Harry—the premiere event celebrating and advancing President Truman’s legacy and library—has raised $10 million in support of nationally acclaimed education and outreach programs that foster civic learning and engagement.
In 2010, the Truman Library Institute inaugurated the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award, now an annual WILD event highlight. Together, the dinner and award ceremony provide invaluable support to the mission that mattered most to President Truman after leaving the White House—establishing his presidential library as a “Classroom for Democracy” where young people, especially, would be inspired and prepared to lead lives of purpose and service.
