The new terminal at Kansas City International Airport now bears the name of the 33rd President of the United States.
Last week, the Kansas City Council voted unanimously to name the new terminal at KCI the Harry S. Truman Terminal in honor of the Independence native. The new name was sponsored by Platte County Councilman Nathan Willett and supported by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. The move honors Truman and his place in history both locally and in the history of the country.
“President Harry S Truman represents the very best of Kansas City and Missouri. He was a leader of uncommon courage, integrity and vision who never forgot where he came from,” Lucas said.
The new terminal, which opened in 2023, will also feature a statue of Truman, a match to the statue of Truman already standing at the U.S. Capitol.
“This is a wonderful way to honor President Truman’s enduring legacy,” said Alex Burden, executive director of the Truman Library Institute. “For his global leadership, his advancement of civil rights, and his unwavering commitment to safeguarding democracy, Truman’s presidency continues to stand as one of the most consequential in our nation’s 250-year history. The lessons of his leadership are as relevant today as they were 80 years ago, and we hope the naming will connect global citizens to this important shared history.”
Born in Lamar, Mo., Truman was raised in Independence and fought in World War I. Upon his return to Kansas City, Truman became a business man and later a Jackson County judge. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1934 and was elected vice president to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. Upon Roosevelt’s death in 1945, Truman became president, serving from 1945-1953. Truman authorized the first and only use of nuclear weapons in war to bomb the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, helping to end World War II. Truman implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild western Europe after WWII and helped found NATO. He is also known for signing executive orders prohibiting discrimination in the federal government and desegregating the U.S. armed forces.
The 40-gate Harry S. Truman Terminal at KCI opened for commercial air service in 2023, almost exactly 50 years after the original airport and its three terminals began serving Kansas City. At just over one million square feet and a budget of $1.5 billion, the new terminal is the largest single infrastructure project in the city’s history. Design and construction efforts for the new terminal began in 2018 and the project broke ground in March 2019.