FDR Dies in Office: Truman Assumes the Presidency
Franklin Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at 3:35 PM on April 12, 1945, at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia. He was sitting for a portrait when he said "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head" and slumped forward. He was 63 and had been president for 12 years and 39 days. Vice President Harry Truman was not informed about the Manhattan Project until after taking the oath of office. Within four months, Truman would decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan, a weapon Roosevelt had authorized but Truman knew nothing about. Roosevelt's death came just 25 days before Germany's surrender and 118 days before Japan's. He had led the nation through the Depression and nearly all of World War II.
April 12, 1945
81 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on April 12
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