Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman ( February 13 , 1885 - October 18 , 1982 ) was the wife of Harry S. Truman , the President of the United States . Many persons call her by another name , Bess Truman or Bessie Truman . Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman ( February 13 , 1885 â `` October 18 , 1982 ) , widely known as Bess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953 .