Born: 1890, Denison, TX
Died: 1969

Dwight Eisenhower was a fine athlete at West Point who went on to a distinguished military career. When America entered World War II, he joined General George Marshall’s staff, commanding the 1942 Allied invasion of North Africa. Appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, he orchestrated the 1944 D-Day landings in France. Returning a national hero, “Ike” became President of Columbia University and then Supreme Commander of NATO. Both parties sought him as a Presidential candidate in 1948, but he refused. In 1952 he headed the Republican ticket, and twice led it to victory.

When Ike took office, America was in the grip of the Cold War. In South Korea, U.S. forces were fighting a communist invasion from the North. At home, Senator McCarthy had incited anti-communist hysteria with witch hunts and blacklists (before his 1954 censure by the Senate). Ike reduced tensions with the Soviets, negotiated a truce in Korea, proposed a nuclear test ban, and pressured America’s allies to withdraw from the Suez Canal in 1956. He also improved the nation’s highways, supported the space program, and sent troops into Little Rock to enforce court-ordered school desegregation. When he left office the former soldier warned against the acquisition of unwarranted influence by “the military-industrial complex.”

Thirty-Fourth President
Republican

Born: 1884, Lamar, MO
Died: 1972

Missourian Harry Truman was a gutsy and straight-talking politician who suffered chiefly from having to fill the shoes of a giant, FDR. Truman ran the family farm until World War I sent him to the French front. After the war he married and launched an unsuccessful clothing store. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1934, he gained national recognition through his unflinching investigation of war contracts. Chosen as FDR’s running mate in 1944, Truman became President when Roosevelt died four months after the election.

Noted for his candor and wit, Truman originated the line, “The buck stops here.” Indeed, President Truman faced up to difficult decisions. When Japan vowed to continue fighting after Germany surrendered, he authorized the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing the war to an end. In the Cold War that followed, he stood firm against the Soviets. In Greece, Turkey, West Berlin and South Korea, Truman carried out a policy of “containment.” In domestic affairs, his Fair Deal proposals included civil rights legislation and a national health program. He won a surprise victory over Thomas Dewey in the 1948 election, living up to his campaign cheer, “Give ‘em hell, Harry!” He retired at the end of his term.

Thirty-Third President
Democrat