Dwight D. Eisenhower
Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower?
President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 (1890–1969)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Dwight D. Eisenhower (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Dwight David Eisenhower was born as David Dwight Eisenhower on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas, and grew up in Abilene, Kansas. After finishing high school in Abilene, he got into the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1915. He married Mamie Doud, and they had two sons. During World War I, Eisenhower asked to serve in Europe but was turned down. Instead, he led a unit responsible for training tank crews, a position that laid the groundwork for his later skills in armored warfare and large-scale military operations.
Before Fame
Eisenhower grew up in modest circumstances in Abilene, Kansas, as the third of seven sons in a family with strong religious beliefs. His early years were during the Progressive Era in America, a time of rapid industrial growth and increased American involvement internationally. After finishing at Abilene High School, he earned a spot at West Point, graduating with the class of 1915. This class was later called "the class the stars fell on" because so many of its graduates reached general officer rank.
Key Achievements
- Commanded Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force
- Served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961, winning two consecutive landslide elections
- Oversaw the creation of the Interstate Highway System through the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
- Served as the first Supreme Commander of NATO from 1951 to 1952, helping establish the alliance's military structure
- Negotiated the armistice that ended active combat in the Korean War in 1953
Did You Know?
- 01.Eisenhower's class at West Point, the class of 1915, produced 59 generals, earning it the nickname 'the class the stars fell on.'
- 02.He was born David Dwight Eisenhower but went by Dwight to avoid confusion with his father, David, reversing the order of his given names.
- 03.During World War I, he trained tank crews stateside and never served in combat, yet went on to command the largest amphibious invasion in history during World War II.
- 04.His farewell address in January 1961 coined the term 'military-industrial complex,' warning against undue influence of the defense industry on government policy.
- 05.He received the Order of Victory from the Soviet Union in 1945, one of only a handful of non-Soviet recipients of that decoration.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Atoms for Peace Award | — | — |
| Companion of the Liberation | — | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown | 1945 | — |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath | 1943 | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of Wissam Alaouite | 1943 | — |
| Legionnaire of Legion of Merit | 1943 | — |
| Order of Victory | 1945 | — |
| Africa Star | 1943 | — |
| Distinguished Service Medal | — | — |
| Mexican Border Service Medal | 1918 | — |
| World War I Victory Medal (United States) | 1919 | — |
| American Defense Service Medal | 1947 | — |
| European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal | 1947 | — |
| World War II Victory Medal | 1947 | — |
| Army of Occupation Medal | 1947 | — |
| National Defense Service Medal | 1953 | — |
| Order of Aeronautical Merit | 1946 | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross | 1946 | — |
| Grand cross of the Order of the White Lion | 1945 | — |
| Order of the Elephant | 1945 | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta | 1945 | — |
| Order of the Royal House of Chakri | 1960 | — |
| Grand Cordon of the order of Nichan Iftikhar | 1943 | — |
| Order of Suvorov, 1st class | 1944 | — |
| Croix de Guerre | 1945 | — |
| Order of Ismail | 1946 | — |
| Horatio Alger Award | 1961 | — |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | — | — |
| Hoover Medal | 1960 | — |
| Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 1st class | 1945 | — |
| Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 | 1945 | — |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath | — | — |
| Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour | 1943 | — |
| Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum | — | — |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy | — | — |
| Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero | 1956 | — |
| Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold | 1945 | — |
| honorary doctor of the Hofstra University | — | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin | 1950 | — |
| Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion | 1945 | — |
| Nishan-e-Pakistan | 1957 | — |
| Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa | 1946 | — |
| Order of Sikatuna | 1960 | — |
| Order of Propitious Clouds | — | — |
| Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari | — | — |
| Inter-Allied Victory Medals | — | — |
| Order of the Redeemer | — | — |
| Time Person of the Year | 1959 | — |
| honorary citizen of Brussels | 1945 | — |
| Theodore Roosevelt Award | 1967 | — |
| honorary doctor of Caen University | 1948 | — |