“Potomac Fever”
Truman“Potomac Fever” was Harry S. Truman’s satirical term for an inflated sense of personal importance in Washington. He described it as a ludicrous disease that made the head swell to abnormal proportions, turning political vanity into a comic affliction—and a standard by which he judged those around him.
Meaning and Use
The expression made self-importance sound both ridiculous and contagious: not merely pride, but a distortion of judgment produced by proximity to power. Its bodily image gave Truman’s criticism a blunt, memorable edge. The phrase also framed his objection as more than a dislike of boasting; in his account, the sufferer had lost a proper sense of proportion.
Hugh Fulton and the White House Staff
Truman’s clearest application of the phrase was Hugh Fulton. Long-serving and regarded as astute, Fulton was nevertheless offered no official position in the new administration. The account suggests that Truman’s decision followed Fulton’s repeated, conspicuous claims about his own importance. Truman was generally reluctant to dismiss people, but Fulton’s self-promotion crossed a line he would not tolerate.
A Distinction Between Failures
The episode distinguishes vanity from other reasons for losing Truman’s favor. The book contrasts Fulton’s apparent offense with the financial scheming associated with Vic Messall, whom Truman had earlier removed from his circle. “Potomac Fever” therefore names a particular failing, not a general label for anyone Truman dismissed: it marks the point at which self-promotion seemed to Truman to become an offense against proportion and public service.
