President Truman hated mowing the lawn, Truman Daniel recalled.
“Grandma [first lady Bess Truman] said, ‘You’re not the president of the United States anymore. You can mow the lawn,’ ” Daniel said.
Truman’s grandson Clifton Truman Daniel shared some family quirks Wednesday at the National Archives, where “The Bess Letters” — notes exchanged between Truman and Bess around the time of his presidency — were revealed.
When the former president finally went out to the mow the lawn, he decided to do so on a Sunday, and waved to everyone on the way to church, Daniel said. Bess ran outside and told him to “never do that again,” and Truman never did.
“My grandfather not only used the church to get out of mowing the lawn, he hired the clergy to do it, too,” Daniel said. He is compiling the letters into a book.
