Margaret Truman

After classical vocal training, Truman's singing career began with a debut radio recital in March 1947, followed shortly thereafter with her professional concert debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She sang professionally for the next decade, appearing with major American orchestras and giving several national concert tours.[2] Some of her credits include concert appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the National Symphony Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony among others. While she never performed in staged operas, she did perform opera arias in concert. Her performances were mainly of both sacred and secular art songs, lieder, and works from the concert soprano repertoire. In 1951 and '52, RCA Victor issued two albums by Truman, one of classical selections, the other of American art songs.[2] She also made recordings of German lieder for NBC. A 1951 Time Magazine cover[5] featured Truman with a single musical note floating by her head. She performed on stage, radio, and television through 1956.[2]

At the beginning of her career, critical reviews of Truman’s singing were positive, polite or diplomatic in tone, with some later reviewers speculating that negative opinions were held back out of deference for her father as a current sitting United States President.[2] This practice was broken in 1950 when Washington Post music critic Paul Hume wrote that Truman was "extremely attractive on the stage... [but] cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time. And still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish." The review angered President Truman (who was dealing that same day with the sudden death of his childhood friend and White House Press Secretary Charlie Ross[6]), who wrote to Hume, "Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!"[7] His response was published by The Washington Post and drew international headlines, becoming a minor scandal for the Truman administration. Reviewers after that felt more free to be honest in their reviews of her performances, with mixed criticism for her singing thereafter.[2]

Truman's professional acting debut occurred April 26, 1951. She co-starred with James Stewart in the "Jackpot" episode of Screen Directors Playhouse on NBC radio.[8] On March 17, 1952, Truman was guest soloist on The Railroad Hour in a presentation of Sari.[9]

Truman also performed on the NBC Radio program The Big Show. There she met writer Goodman Ace, who gave her advice and pointers; Ace became a lifelong friend, advising Truman even after The Big Show.[10][11] She became part of the team of NBC Radio's Weekday show that premiered in 1955, shortly after its Monitor program made its debut.[12] Paired with Mike Wallace, she presented news and interviews aimed at a female listening audience.[11][13]

She appeared several times as a panelist (and twice as a mystery guest) on the game show What's My Line? and guest-starred more than once on NBC's The Martha Raye Show.

In 1957, she sang and played piano on The Gisele MacKenzie Show[14]

Truman's full-length biography of her father, published shortly before his 1972 death, was critically acclaimed. She also wrote a personal biography of her mother and histories of the White House and its inhabitants (including first ladies and pets).

A series of murder mysteries, the Capital Crimes series, most set in and around Washington, D.C., were published under her name; they were ghostwritten, first by William Harrington (according to Harrington).[15]

After Harrington's apparent suicide, a self-written obituary was found in which he referred to Margaret Truman and others as his "clients". Harrington's literary agent (who was also Truman's agent) denied any collaboration with Truman, while somewhat obliquely acknowledging Harrington had "worked on" books credited to another author. Harrington has been "squarely" credited by at least one verifiable source with ghostwriting all the books published by the child of another United States president, Elliott Roosevelt and then, allegedly, those published by Donald Bain.[16][17]

Truman published regularly into her eighties. She served on the board of directors for the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, the Board of Governors of the Roosevelt Institute, and as a Trustee for her alma mater.[18]