Biographical Chart: Dwight D.

Eisenhower

Full Name:​ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Lifespan:​ October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969

● Early Family Background and Created Family Structure

- Born in Denison, Texas
- Parents: David and Elizabeth Eisenhower
- He had 6 brothers
- As a kid, he lived in a small house near a railroad(poor family)
- His father cleaned train engines
- His family moved to Abilene, Kansas
- When Paul was 4, one of his younger brothers died of diphtheria
- Eisenhower married Mamie Doud in 1916

● Education
- Attended Abilene High School
- Played baseball and football here
- Enjoyed studying history
- Smoked a lot
- Graduated high school in 1909
- He helped pay for his brothers college education by working.
- He went to West Point Military Academy in 1911
- Free to attend
- didn't really care about his education, he was more focused on
football
- Graduated from this military academy in 1915

● Personality Characteristics and Areas of Aptitude, Talent, and

Interest
- Enjoyed history, classmates could see his strength and love in the
subject
- Enjoyed exploring the outdoors
- Great football player
- Selfless - payed for brothers education
- Ability to choose qualified people
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- Skilled at working with others, including opinionated men with
different views
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- Known for his strong character and his modesty
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● Major Career/Professional Events and Accomplishments

- Graduated first in his class from the army’s Command and General
Staff School in 1926.
- Became chief of the War Plans Division of the U.S. Army General
Staff in 1941
- During World War II, Eisenhower was leader of the Allied forces in
Europe
- 1944, appointed as 5 star general
- President of Columbia University
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- The first commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
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- Elected President of the U.S. in 1952 and 1956
- In 1953, Eisenhower helped end the Korean War by negotiating a
truce with the North Koreans
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● Personal Life Themes/Beliefs

- Being raised poor, Eisenhower learned the value of working hard and
earning money
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- He supported the civil rights movement
- As a Republican, Eisenhower cared about business
- Eisenhower also cared about social security, minimum wage, and
supported the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare
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- During his Presidency, promoted an Atoms for Peace program, which
encouraged the use of atomic energy for peaceful uses
- Believed that freedom was a value worth preserving
- Believed politics was a serious profession, noble
- Baptized as presbyterium
- Added “under God” to the pledge of allegiance.

● Selected Quotations
- “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a
thousand miles from the corn field.”
- “Only strength can cooperate. Weakness can only beg.”
- “Only Americans can hurt America.”
- “In the final choice a soldier’s pack is not so heavy as a prisoner’s
chains.”
- “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.
Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a
section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
- “Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of
history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”

● Awards and Recognition

- In 1926, graduated first in his class at the army’s Command and
General Staff School
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- December 1944, promoted to five-star rank
- In 1956, he was awarded the Primetime Emmy Governors Award
- Hoover Medal in 1960
- Eisenhower received the Distinguished Service Medal in 1947
- Aircraft carrier named after him around 1977, “Eisenhower”

● Death and Aftermath

- Died in Washington, DC on March 26, 1969
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- State funeral was held in Washington DC and a military funeral in
Abilene, Kansas
- Buried on a family plot
- Built on the grounds of his library
- Died of heart failure
- In Walter Reed hospital

● Lasting Impact and Contributions

- During Eisenhower’s presidency, the Supreme Court declared
segregation in schools to be unconstitutional
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- In his second term as President, Eisenhower signed laws to enforce
desegregation
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- In 1953, Eisenhower helped end the Korean War by negotiating a
truce with the North Koreans
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- Established Alaska and Hawaii as states
- Supported establishment of the Interstate Highway System
- Signed 1957 Civil Rights Act
- Signed the bill that formed National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)