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