Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President of the United States (1953-61)
Early Life
He became Douglas MacArthur's administrative assistant during the 30's, and helped plan out US strategy during the opening stages of WW2. He was eventually promoted to Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, being the central leader for all the armies that fought on the Allied side, including British, Canadian, Australian, Polish, and Free French forces. He planned and executed Operation Overlord, or the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.He also oversaw the occupation of Germany and Japan during the following months after the end of the war.
Career Before Presidency
Presidency
Going up against Adlai Stevenson, he won 442 electoral votes to Stevenson's 89, with a margin of more than 6 million votes cast in Ike's favor.
Eisenhower was remember for being pretty stable in his policies, with no one issue really standing out. He intervened and stopped the Korean War, helped enforce Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and created the Interstate Highway System. He was also known for creating NASA during the height of the Space race with the USSR.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution limited the presidents time in office to two terms. He left office at the age of 70 years old.
President's Cabinet
President Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953–1961
Vice President Richard Nixon 1953–1961
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles 1953–1959
Christian A. Herter 1959–1961
Secretary of Treasury George M. Humphrey 1953–1957
Robert B. Anderson 1957–1961
Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson 1953–1957
Neil H. McElroy 1957–1959
Thomas S. Gates, Jr. 1959–1961
Attorney General Herbert Brownell, Jr. 1953–1957
William P. Rogers 1957–1961
Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield 1953–1961
Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay 1953–1956
Fred A. Seaton 1956–1961
Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson 1953–1961
Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks 1953–1958
Lewis L. Strauss 1958–1959
Frederick H. Mueller 1959–1961
Secretary of Labor Martin P. Durkin 1953
James P. Mitchell 1953–1961
Secretary of Health,
Education, and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby 1953–1955
Marion B. Folsom 1955–1958
Arthur S. Flemming 1958–1961
Later Life and Death
He was 78 years old.
Major Achivements and Blunders
- Interstate Highway System
- NASA and the Space race
- Ending the Korean War
3 Blunders of Eisenhower's administration:
- Failure to promote civil rights
- Unable to cope with international relations, especially with the USSR.
- Was not able to limit the nuclear weapons race with the USSR.
Popularity during and after Presidency
Would Eisenhower be "Electable" Today?
Citations
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Dwight_D._Eisenhower#Administration_and_Cabinet>
N.p., n.d. Web. <http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/314630?terms=Dwight+D.+Eisenhower>.