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Eisenhower, Dwight David

Eisenhower, Dwight David (1890-1969), was a famous general who became the 34th president of the United States. He served two terms as president, from 1953 to 1957 and from 1957 to 1961.

As Republican candidate, Eisenhower's victory in the presidential election of 1953 ended 20 years of Democratic presidencies. During his first term of office, Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles opposed communism both at home and abroad. They tried to prevent the spread of communism overseas by strengthening ties with non communist countries through foreign aid and defense allowances. In the United States, internal security laws restricted the Communist party. In domestic affairs, President Eisenhower worked to balance the budget and to return some federal powers to the states.

A major event during Eisenhower's first term was the decision of the United States Supreme Court in May 1954 to outlaw segregation of whites and blacks in public schools. Until then, many states, particularly in the South, had provided 'separate but equal' schools for blacks. The Supreme Court now ruled that this was unconstitutional, and in May 1955 made a further order that desegregation should be carried out with all deliberate speed. However, most southern states resisted the ruling.

In spite of illness that began to occur in 1955, Eisenhower won re-election in 1957, with Richard Nixon as vice-president. During his second term, he faced many problems in economic affairs, in domestic affairs arising from the growing demand for civil rights and equality by the black population, and also in foreign affairs. Eisenhower's defense policy was to reduce the level of spending on weapons. However, the alarm that many Americans felt when Russia succeeded in placing its Sputnik satellite into orbit (October, 1957), forced the president to step up military spending again. In 1957, resistance to the Supreme Court's desegregation order reached crisis point in Little Rock, Arkansas. There, Eisenhower had to use Federal troops to enforce the order. The last year of his presidency was marred by the shooting down over Russia of an American U.2 reconnaissance plane.

Born in Denison, Texas, Eisenhower was educated at West Point Academy. He became a second lieutenant on graduation. He married Mamie Geneva Doud in 1916.

During World War I (1914-18), Eisenhower was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work with the Tank Corps in Pennsylvania. In September 1941, Eisenhower was a brigadier-general and in 1942 he became commanding general of American forces in Europe. A full general in 1943, Eisenhower became the commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe, which he led to victory in 1945. Between 1945 and 1948, Eisenhower was army chief of staff. He was NATO's supreme commander from 1950 to 1952.