Melissa Van Cott

Mrs. Godfrey

Honors Leadership

17 October 2019

Biographical Chart: Dwight D. Eisenhower

● Full Name:

○ Dwight David Eisenhower

● Lifespan:

○ Born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas

○ Died on March 28, 1969 in Bethesda, Maryland

■ Died of congestive heart failure

● Early Family Background and Created Family Structure:

○ Dwight David Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas to

David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower

○ He was the third of the family’s seven sons

○ The family lived in a tiny house near the railroad tracks

■ His father cleaned train engines for a living

○ While Dwight was just one years old, his family moved back to Abilene, Kansas

so that his father could take a better job in his brother-in-law’s creamery

○ In Abilene, Dwight’s 10 month old brother Paul died of diphtheria

■ He still has a very happy childhood

● Education:
 ○ Dwight played baseball and football while attending Abilene High School

○ After graduating high school in 1909, Eisenhower worked with his father and

uncle at the creamery

■ He also worked as a fireman

○ Dwight and his brother both wanted to attend college but the family could not

afford it

■ They agreed to do 2 years each

○ In 1911 Eisenhower landed an appointment at the United States Military

Academy in West Point, New York

■ Tuition was free

○ Graduated from West Point in 1915

● Personality Characteristics and Areas of Aptitude, Talent, and Interest:

○ Eisenhower had always been interested in history

■ Specifically war history

○ He had a knack for oil painting

■ Which he did recreationally quite often

○ A strong leader

■ He was always very communicative and never impulsive

○ Commanded the respect of those who served with him

■ Had a firm reputation for his military prowess

○ Very talented athlete

■ He played baseball and football in high school and college

 ○ Knowledgeable, he graduated first in his class at the Army’s prestigious graduate

school named Command and General Staff School at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas

● Major Career/Professional Events and Accomplishments:

○ Named 34th President of the United States

■ Served from 1953-1961

○ He was a 5 star general in the United States Army during World War II

○ Served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe

○ He was responsible for the planning of the invasion of North Africa in Operation

Torch

■ Also planned and supervised the successful invasion of Normandy from

the Western front from 1944-1945

○ Led the country to prosperity

■ Strengthened Social Security and created a new Interstate Highway

System

○ Protect the country from nuclear weapons by ending the war in Korea in 1953

● Personal Life Themes/Beliefs:

○ In 1953 Eisenhower was baptized a Presbyterian

○ His mother and father taught him about the Bible from a very young age

○ Eisenhower’s mother joined the International Bible Students Association

(Jahovah’s Witnesses)

○ Added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance

■ Reflective of his faith

 ● His faith emphasized moderation which can be seen in his

domestic and foreign policies

○ “A democracy cannot exist without a religious base”

■ Used his faith to counter atheistic communism

○ Believed that military was an instrument of foreign policy but should be used

sparingly as a last resort

● Selected Quotations:

○ “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the

fight in the dog.”

○ “You don't lead by hitting people over the head...that's assault, not leadership.”

○ “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.”

○ “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done

because he wants to do it.”

○ “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:

○ The Hoover Medal

○ Victory Medal

■ WWI and WWII

○ Distinguished Service Medal

 ■ Army and Navy

○ Legion of Merit

○ Primetime Emmy Governors award

● Death and Aftermath:

○ Eisenhower died of congestive heart failure on March 29, 1969

○ His body was placed into a standard soldier’s casket

○ He was dressed in his famous short green jacket

○ His body was put onto a funeral train to be transported back to Abilene, Kansas

■ This was the last time a funeral train would ever be used to transport a

United States President

● Lasting Impact and Contributions:

○ Created a new Interstate Highway System

○ Took the United States out of war in Korea

■ Prevented us from getting into war with the Middle East for the time being

○ Preserved New Deal programs

■ Dealing with social welfare

○ In 1954, Eisenhower signed a bill that added the words “under God” to the Pledge

of Allegiance

○ President Nixon on Eisenhower: “Some men are considered great because they

lead great armies or they lead powerful nations. For eight years now, Dwight

Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation; and yet he
 remained through his final days the world's most admired and respected man,

truly the first citizen of the world.”

● Works Cited:

○ “Dwight D. Eisenhower.” ​Biography​,

https://www.biography.com/us-president/dwight-d-eisenhower​.

○ “Dwight D. Eisenhower.” ​Miller Center​, 26 Sept. 2016,

https://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower​.

○ “Dwight D. Eisenhower | Cold War, Presidency, & Facts.” ​Encyclopedia

Britannica,​ ​https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dwight-D-Eisenhower​.