User talk:Davie1954

Changing "was" to "is" in biographical articles
Please stop doing this. Normal English usage is to use "was" to describe people who are dead. For example, one writes that Graham Maxwell "was the son of "Uncle Arthur" Maxwell", because Graham Maxwell is dead. To change this to "is" is confusing and inconsistent. It is also in violation of Wikipedia's manual of style; see WP:MOSBIO.

In the case of Harry Truman, the error is even greater. You changed the article to say that he "is" the 33rd President of the United States. This is incorrect, as he ceased to be President on 20 January, 1952. Even during the rest of his lifetime "is the 33rd President" would have been incorrect.

Thanks for your attention. —Mark Dominus (talk) 01:16, 25 December 2010 (UTC)