Weary from the end of the Second World War, then President Harry S. Truman needed rest and a temperate climate to recover from a lasting cold. He settled on the former Naval Station in Key West and spent about 175 days of his presidency at what became his winter holiday getaway. Now known as the Truman Little White House, it’s Florida’s only Presidential museum.
Over 70 years after the end of Truman’s presidency, his legacy lives on in his grandson. Clifton Truman Daniel, a retired journalist and part-time actor, will bring President Truman’s story to life by portraying his grandfather in the one-man, one-act play, Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! on Feb. 18 and 19.
Daniel said his work as an actor and family historian has been “the weirdest retirement plan ever.”
“I never expected to be playing my own grandfather,” Daniel said. But, he admitted, he loves doing it. “It gets me to new places, meet new people, be on stage. It also resonates today.”
Daniel hears exclamations of shock from audiences when he delivers certain lines from the play.
“My grandfather always said ‘There's nothing new in the world but the history you don't already know,'” he said. “And it's true.”
With what Daniel called a ‘fraught election’ coming up, he hopes that the events at the Little White House will entertain and inform Key West audiences.
The play is part of a series of President’s Day weekend events put on by The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and The Society of Presidential Descendants that will benefit the Little White House.
The presidential descendants' forum, set to take place the day before the first performance of Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!, will convene six descendants of former Presidents throughout history. The panelists include James Carter’s grandson, Ulysses S. Grant’s great-great grandson, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s granddaughter Grover Cleveland’s great-great grandson and the great-granddaughter of William Howard Taft.
They’ll discuss the powerful influence of the presidential office, election tactics, how each former President might advise the current electorate and how each of their ancestors ran their campaigns.
“My grandfather’s strategy, for example, being on a train and taking several whistlestop tours of the U.S. and just speaking to people anywhere they could,” Daniel said. “But each president that’s represented at the event this year had their own strategies.”
Daniel grew up in New York but took several trips with his grandparents to the Florida Keys, spending time in the sun. He recalled one lunch at the Truman Little White House where a young Daniel turned his nose up at the chefs serving artichoke.
“I thought, this thing has spikes on it, this is not food,” he said. “I’ve loved artichokes ever since but it was a weird experience.”
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When Key West used to be a prominent naval base, Daniel and his family were able to tour a diesel-powered submarine, an experience that would feed any child’s wonder.
Those fond memories, coupled with his desire to fundraise for the Little White House, keep Daniel coming back.
“No offense to all the other theaters that I've done the show, but I don't think I've ever had any more fun than doing it in Key West,” he said.
The delight of having chickens run across the front of the stage, waving to tourists in airplanes that fly overhead, and indulging in the sunshine and open bar are all draws for him.
“The weather's nice. It's outside. It's the Truman Little White House. I'm playing my grandfather at the place where he spent his working vacations,” Daniel said. “He wrote to my grandmother after his first visit, he said, ‘You know, I've got a mind to move the government to Key West and just stay.' Needless to say, he couldn't get away with that.”
Presidents' Day Weekend Events Include:
- Presidential Descendants Forum on Saturday Feb. 17 followed by winners announcement of the Monroe County student essay competition
- Harry S. Truman bronze memorial sculpture presentation by master artist Tom Corbin on Sunday, Feb. 18
- President’s Day cookout on Monday, Feb. 19
Each event is held at the Truman Little White House. Ticket Information here: https://www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/presidential-families-weekend-2024
