Qualla: The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country

The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country: Introduction

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jcahill211, CC BY-SA 3.0. By November 1946, Harry Truman was exhausted. Nineteen months into a presidency he never expected -- thrust into office by Roosevelt's death, burdened with the decision to drop two atomic bombs, navigating the opening moves of the Cold War -- his doctor ordered him to find somewhere warm and rest. The Navy offered quarters at its Key West base, a wooden duplex built in 1890 on what was then the waterfront. Truman arrived, felt the tropical air, played some poker, and realized he could govern from anywhere. Over the next six years, he returned ten more times, spending 175 days in what became known as the Little White House. Documents issued from the building read "The White House, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida." Where the president was, the White House was.

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Image: Jcahill211 | CC BY-SA 3.0

The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country: Officers' Quarters on the Waterfront

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Public domain. The house predates Truman by more than half a century. Designed in 1889 by the local firm of Scott, McDermott & Higgs, it was built in 1890 as the first officer's quarters on the U.S. naval station at Key West. The wooden duplex originally held Quarters A for the base commandant ...

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Image: Public domain

The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country: Truman's Routine at the End of the Road

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. Truman's Key West days followed a comfortable rhythm. He rose at seven for a morning walk around the base or into town, then boarded the presidential yacht Williamsburg for breakfast. Mornings meant working through his mail until around ten, when he headed to Truman Beach to disc...

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The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country: The Key West Accord

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. The Little White House was not all poker and sunshine. In 1948, the Joint Chiefs of Staff gathered here for meetings that produced the Key West Agreement, which unified the armed services and helped establish the modern Department of Defense. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who fac...

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Image: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided | Public domain

The Little White House: Where Truman Played Poker and Ran the Country: From Naval Base to Public Museum

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian.S.W, CC BY-SA 4.0. After Truman left office in 1953, the Little White House continued to serve various government functions. On January 1, 1987, the property was deeded to the State of Florida, to be held in trust as a public museum. In 1990, nearly a million dollars was spent restoring the house t...

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Image: Brian.S.W | CC BY-SA 4.0