Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt to receive Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award

Feb. 26—Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt has been named the recipient of the 2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award.

President Truman's grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, will participate in the award ceremony. The award was created by the Truman Library Institute in 2010 to honor Truman and to recognize individuals "with a sustained and distinguished record of serving our nation and its democratic principles."

Past honorees include retired Adm. Michelle Howard; Samantha Power, USAID director and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; retired Gen. James Mattis; Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense and CIA director; and U.S. Reps. James Clyburn and John Lewis.

Blunt served 12 years in the U.S. Senate and before that 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Southwest Missouri.

The Truman Library Institute noted that 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."

Blunt currently serves as president of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Blunt, in a statement, said: "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. 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."

David Von Drehle, honorary chair for the 2024 fundraising event and a Washington Post columnist, will participate in the award ceremony.

The award will be presented April 18 in Kansas City at the Truman Library Institute's annual fundraising dinner.