David Frederick Wallace

David Frederick Wallace (January 7, 1900 – September 30, 1957) was an architect and brother of First Lady of the United States Bess Truman. Early life and education Wallace was born on January 7, 1900, in Independence, Missouri, to parents David Willock Wallace and Margaret Elizabeth Gates. Fred was the youngest of four children, including Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace, Frank Gates Wallace, and George Porterfield Wallace. His sister Bess married Harry S. Truman. As the baby boy of the family, Fred Wallace had a very close relationship with his mother. He was known for his love of a good party, and he bore a close resemblance to his father. Fred graduated from William Chrisman High School in Independence in 1918. He attended the University of Missouri for two years around 1919-1920, and he joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity during his time at the university. By his late 20s, it had become clear that Fred had inherited his father's weakness for liquor. His friends were known to carry him home and leave him on the porch of the family's Independence home after a night of drinking. Career Wallace worked as an architect for Kansas City, Missouri, real estate developer J.C. Nichols in the 1920s. In 1928 prominent Columbia, Missouri civic leader Frederick W. Niedermeyer selected Wallace to serve as architect for construction of an apartment building in Columbia. Wallace was a fraternity brother of Niedermeyer's youngest son Pierce. The Classical Revival style Frederick Apartments building was completed in 1928 at a cost of approximately $200,000.