Missouri, state, United States: World War I to the Present

Although during World War I general prosperity prevailed in the state, the depression years of the 1930s sent farm values crashing, and many banks, especially in rural areas, failed. Its corrupt political machines in the large cities attracted national attention, notably the machine of Thomas J. Pendergast (1872–1945) in Kansas City. While tending toward the Republicans in the days of Theodore Roosevelt, Missouri turned solidly Democratic for Franklin D. Roosevelt and helped to elect Missourian Harry S. Truman to the presidency in 1948.

Prosperity returned during World War II, when both St. Louis and Kansas City served as vital transportation centers, and industrialization increased enormously. In the postwar period, Missouri became the second largest producer (behind Michigan) of automobiles in the nation, but currently ranks seventh. Although most industry remains based in the two metropolitan centers, smaller Missouri communities, especially suburbs, have since attracted much light and heavy industry, as well as former city dwellers. St. Louis lost half its population between 1950 to 1990, and out-migration has continued; what was once the fourth largest U.S. city in population is now ranked 69th. Missouri has elected both Democrats and Republicans to its governor's chair since the 1990s, with most pursuing mainstream political positions until recent years. Republican Eric Greitner served for only a year and a half (Jan. 2018-June 2019) after being accused of campaign irregularities and sexual assault; he was replaced by his lieutenant governor, Mike Parson, who won election in his own in 2020. Parsons has pursued conservative positions, including limiting abortion and voting rights and refusing to expand Medicaid to cover the uninsured.

Missouri has contributed to the United States such outstanding statesmen as Champ Clark, James Reed, and W. Stuart Symington. Thomas Hart Benton, a descendant of the Missouri Senator of the same name, was one of the country's important artists.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• World War I to the Present
• Slavery, Civil War, and a New Missouri
• Territorial Status and Statehood
• French Exploration and Settlement
• Government, Politics, and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures
• Bibliography

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