Harry Randall Truman

Harry Randall Truman
Harry Randall Truman near his lodge on Spirit Lake, April 1980
Born	(1896-10-30)October 30, 1896 Ivydale, Clay County, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 18, 1980(1980-05-18) (aged 83) Mount St. Helens, Washington, U.S.
Cause of death	Killed by volcano eruption Pyroclastic flow
Occupation	Owner and operator of Mount St. Helens Lodge
Spouse(s)	Helen Irene Hughes (divorced) Marjorie Bennett (divorced) Edna O. Henrickson
Children	Betty

Harry Randall Truman (October 30, 1896 – May 18, 1980) was a resident of the U.S. state of Washington who lived on Mount St. Helens. He came to brief fame in the months preceding the volcano's 1980 eruption after he stubbornly refused to leave his home despite evacuation orders, and he is presumed to have been killed in the eruption. He was the owner and caretaker of Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake, located at the south end of Spirit Lake at the foot of the mountain in the danger zone at the time of the eruption.

After Truman's death, his family and friends reflected on his love for the mountain. He was commemorated in a book by his niece and a song by Headgear. In 1981, Art Carney portrayed Truman in the docu-drama film St. Helens.

Truman was born in Ivydale, Clay County, West Virginia, to Rosa Belle (née Hardman; 1873– 1957) and Newberry Truman (1874– 1923). His family settled in Chehalis, Washington several years later, where his father died in a logging camp accident in 1923, aged 49. He had one sister, Geraldine (1905–1987).

Truman enlisted in the 100th Aero Squadron – 7th Squad of United States Army as a private on August 4, 1917. Several months later, he survived the torpedoing of the Tuscania on February 5, 1918, off the coast of Ireland. After the incident, Truman was honorably discharged from military service on June 12, 1919. He lived in Riffe, Washington, until 1926, when he became caretaker of the Mount St. Helens Lodge at the foot of Mount St. Helens beside Spirit Lake. In 1928, Truman bought half interest in the lodge; later that same year he bought the other half. At the time of his death, Truman had operated the lodge for 52 years. He was also a member of the Tuscania Survivors Association from 1938 until his death.