{"id":18189,"date":"2024-07-18T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18189"},"modified":"2024-09-03T17:51:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T21:51:41","slug":"34-eisenhower-dwight-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18189","title":{"rendered":"#34. Eisenhower, Dwight David"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas –\u00a0<\/em>Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) was the 34th<\/sup> President of the United States, from 1953 to 1961. Of all the presidents who ever campaigned for president, and all the names a political party could pick to head their ticket, nobody had a better name to fit onto a campaign button: I LIKE IKE was a made-to-order winner! And then, the guy was a war hero, to boot. Five-Star General. Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. Who better to lead a country of 160 million that was becoming, or visioning itself as, \u201cthe leader of the free world?\u201d Supreme Commander. We know that sometimes, in order to be supreme, little things get rolled over. We know that being supreme, and being likable, are different things. Sometimes we don\u2019t like our presidents and take aim directly (a few assassinations come to mind); sometimes we just stop voting for them, or put them down in history as NGP\u2019s (Not Great Presidents). What did we do with Ike? And how liked was Ike?<\/p>\n

Way Way Way Back<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cEisenhauer\u201d family migrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1741. \u201cEisenhauer\u201d translates to \u201ciron hewer;\u201d anglicized to the spelling we know today: Eisenhower. Fast forward to October 14, 1890, and Denison, Texas. That\u2019s when Dwight David entered the world, the third of seven sons born to David Jacob and Ida Stover Eisenhower. Ike\u2019s family had specific times for Bible reading, and chores; discipline came from Dad if not met. Father \"\"<\/a>David was a college-educated engineer; but family fortunes went up and down over the years. Mother Ida\u2019s childhood was a series of more downs that ups; reading the Bible was her education. When Ike was born she belonged to Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses and their home was the local meeting hall. Dwight was named \u201cDwight\u201d after evangelist Dwight L Moody; all the boys\u2013 Arthur, Edgar, Dwight, Roy, Paul, Earl, Milton – were nicknamed \u201cIke\u201d as a shortened version of Eisenhower \u2013 Big Ike and Little Ike and so on; the only one still called Ike by World War II was the \u201cDwight Ike.\u201d Speaking of war, keep this in mind: Mother Ida was a lifelong pacifist, believing that war was wicked. She died in September 1946; Ike was unable to attend her funeral due to war-time duties.<\/p>\n

Becoming A Strategist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along with his gang of brothers Ike grew up hunting, and fishing, but sports \u2013 now that was everything. As a freshman playing football, Ike injured his knee; an infection was so bad doctors told him it was life-threatening; the leg must come off. Ike refused. And got well. He graduated Abilene High School in 1909 (the family was in Kansas by then) and worked for a while to earn funds for college. Then someone suggested he apply to the Naval Academy as no tuition was required. Ike conferred with his Senator who advised applying to West Point as well. He passed the entrance exams for both but was told he was too old for the Naval Academy. He went with the second choice: West Point, 1911.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ike made the varsity football team at West Point and was a starter halfback in 1912; yes, he played against Jim Thorpe in a famous Big Loss for Army<\/em> game; in the very next game he was tackled in a knee-injuring play; no more football. Except, by doggie, he became the junior varsity coach. His graduation class of 1915 became known as \u201cthe class the stars fell on;\u201d 59 members eventually became officers in the US Army; one of them was Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike\u2019s academic record was average; but, in addition to learning military strategy and football strategy at West Point, he learned to play bridge. He was addicted to bridge throughout his military career. While stationed in the Philippines, he played with President Manuel Quezon and gained the reputation Bridge Wizard of Manila.<\/em> He played in Europe during the stressful days before the D-Day landings. His favorite partner? General Alfred Gruenther, considered the best bridge player in the Army; Ike appointed him as second-in-command at NATO (reputedly) because of his bridge skill. Well then.<\/p>\n

Career Army Means Moving Around<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ike\u2019s very first military assignment was Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. During WWI he requested to be sent to Europe but wound up training tank crews. Between wars he held staff positions in the US and the Philippines. By WWII he had attained the rank of Brigadier General; then more promotions. He oversaw the Allied invasions of North Africa and Sicily; he supervised the invasions of France and Germany. He was military governor of the American-occupied zone of Germany in 1945, Army Chief of Staff 1945-1948, and first supreme commander of NATO 1951-1952. (For a blip in there he was president of Columbia University.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And on a personal level? Way back there in San Antonio, Ike met Mamie Doud; her parents were visiting a friend at Fort Sam Houston. He proposed on Valentine\u2019s Day 1916, they got married July 1 (he was 26, she was 20); Ike was granted 10 days leave for a honeymoon. Mary Geneva \u201cMamie\u201d Doud was born in Boone, Iowa November 14, 1896, the second of the four girls of John Sheldon and Elivera Carlson Doud. Daddy was rich, and Mama was Swedish, which meant Swedish was often spoken at home, and there were plenty of servants to do everything, so Mamie never learned to \u201ckeep house.\u201d That didn\u2019t make for a good start as the wife living on the low pay of a military man. But she was accustomed to one thing \u2013 not staying put. Her family traveled a lot, and had a number of homes, she grew up in Iowa, Colorado, Texas. As an Army wife she lived in 33 different homes in 37 years as Ike was stationed at different posts.<\/p>\n

Ike and Mamie had two sons; Doud Dwight in 1917; who died of scarlet fever at the age of three; the second son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born in 1922. Ike was stationed in Panama in 1922; Mamie traveled to Denver for John\u2019s birth; when she returned to Panama she brought a nurse to help care for John. Mamie doted on John; he helped ease some of her depression brought about by her firstborn\u2019s death, and her long separations from Ike. In 1928 Ike was stationed in Paris; in 1929, he was appointed as aide to General Douglas MacArthur. 1935: the Philippines. 1939: Back in the US as WWII began.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Been Good To Know You<\/strong><\/p>\n

During World War II, while promotion and fame came to Ike, Mamie lived in Washington, DC. During the three years Ike was stationed in Europe, she saw him only once. And what about son John; where was he during all of this? John graduated high school in Baguio, Philippines when the family lived there. And decided to follow in Dad\u2019s footsteps \u2013 he entered West Point on the eve of the US entry into WWII. His graduation date? Incredibly, it was June 6, 1944, D-Day, the day the Allied forces invaded Normandy. Ike missed John\u2019s graduation. Mamie\u2019s health had never been good \u2013 she had rheumatic fever as a child; combine that with loneliness and worry; was her son okay? Her husband safe? And those Kay Summersby rumors? Officially Kay was Ike\u2019s \u201cchauffeur\u201d in London, was there more?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It was 1948 before Ike and Mamie bought the first, and only, home they ever owned. Ike had accepted appointment as President of Columbia University, and the home was a farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. (It\u2019s now the Eisenhower National Historic Site.) Well oops, Ike was made commander of NATO so, back to Europe, hang up that University presidency; hold up on that farm. One good thing for Mamie then \u2013 she got to live in Paris, receive royals regularly, and, was even awarded the Cross of Merit for her role in Ike\u2019s military success. Son John, meanwhile, got married, had kids, earned an MA at Columbia in English, and began teaching English at West Point. He, and Dad, and Mom, and War, would cross paths again.<\/p>\n

The Next Republican President<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harry S Truman and Dwight David Eisenhower had different opinions about war, and policy, and, well, most things. But they had to work together during those war years. Ike didn\u2019t approve of Harry\u2019s decision to drop the bomb, no sir. He didn\u2019t approve of Franklin\u2019s \u201cNew Deal\u201d or Harry\u2019s \u201cFair Deal.\u201d By 1952, the list of things Ike didn\u2019t like was long, and the after-war upheaval was still stirring up everybody\u2019s guts, so, perfect timing for a War Hero with a different plan. \u201cI Like Ike\u201d buttons sprouted on thousands of lapels, and by January 20, 1953, Ike and Mamie were riding in the presidential limousine on the way to the White House to pick up outgoing Harry and Bess, who invited them in for a cup of coffee before heading to the swearing-in at the capitol. Ike and Mamie wouldn\u2019t get out of the car.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The snit began way back, all those differences of opinion. And then, right after the election but still a few months before the official change of hands, workers showed up at the White House without notice to start re-arranging the White House for the Eisenhowers. They weren\u2019t allowed in. And then, Harry offered to set up a meeting with Ike to begin sharing critical information an incoming president would need to know (remember, he got nothing when he took over presidential duties). Ike declined, meeting with other sources for information. Mamie and Bess fared better, there is a famous photo of the two \u201cLadies\u201d December 1, 1952, when Mamie accepted Bess\u2019 offer of a tour of the White House. And so it goes.<\/p>\n

Who is Happy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This is complicated. John first. Back when Ike was Supreme Allied Commander, John wasn\u2019t allowed combat duty as it might be a distraction for his Dad. In 1952, while Ike was running for president, John was fighting in a combat unit in Korea. The heart-to-heart father-son talk \"\"<\/a>went like this: if I am elected president, you must never be captured alive<\/em>. John accepted the fact that he would have to take his own life rather than become an instrument of blackmail; John\u2019s children at the time \u2013 David, Ann, and Susan \u2013 were 4, 3, and 1. Ouch. John did get to work in the White House later; he was Dad\u2019s Assistant Staff Secretary and on the Army\u2019s General Staff.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mamie next. For eight straight years Mamie stayed put! She had a White House staff at her disposal; she looked fashionably pretty in pink; and everybody liked her bangs. She was the first First Lady to present a national public image, often entertaining heads of state, the count was over 70 official foreign visitors. She shook hands with thousands of people and readily accommodated photographers, though she maintained her distance from the press. Once John came home from Korea, she had her family near \u2013 four grandkids by 1955. John and his wife Barbara even bought property near the Gettysburg farm so they could be close.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>John liked Ike, Mamie liked Ike, and the American public continued to be wowed by Ike. He won 531 electoral votes in 1952 and 1956. He won 55% of the popular vote in 1952 and 57.5% in 1956. Could he have won a third term? Speculation is yes; but Ike was the first president to fall under the restrictions of the Two Terms Only 22nd<\/sup> Amendment, passed in 1951.<\/p>\n

Winding Down<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few people were aware of Ike\u2019s major problem: his health. In his entire military career, he never spent a day in combat, but his health brought him to the edge numerous times. Besides that screwed up knee, he had five heart attacks, one stroke, surgery due to Chrohn\u2019s disease, malaria, tuberculosis, high blood pressure, spinal malformation, shingles, neuritis, and bronchitis. Medical records were guarded \u2013 neither a Supreme Commander nor a US President dares show any sign of weakness. He died of heart failure March 28, 1969 at the age of 78 in Walter Reed Hospital.<\/p>\n

Mamie lived another 10 years after Ike\u2019s death, staying on at the Gettysburg farm. She and Ike had eight years together there after leaving the White House. She died of a stroke at Walter Reed Hospital November 1, 1979 at the age of 83; she and Ike are buried side by side at the Eisenhower National Museum & Library in Abilene, Kansas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I went to high school, got married, and had kids during Ike\u2019s presidency; the thing I most remember was his role in 1957 when he sent Army troops to enforce federal court orders integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 I drive by the Memorial to the Little Rock Nine whenever I go downtown today. Both my brothers were in high school when Sputnik was launched; their entire careers were molded by Ike\u2019s creation of NASA and the establishment of a stronger, science-based education via the National Defense Education Act.<\/p>\n

Would I invite Ike and Mamie to my party? I don\u2019t think so. I wore the Ike button back then. Ike and Mamie were the residents during my first tourist-visit to the White House in 1953. But it would be stressful to talk about. Too much heartache behind the glory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas –\u00a0Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 to 1961. Of all the presidents who ever campaigned for president, and all the names a political party could pick to head their ticket, nobody had a better name to fit onto a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4031],"tags":[4096,2382],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18189"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26756,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189\/revisions\/26756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}