Dwight D Eisenhower

1890-1910

Boyhood

Dwight D. Eisenhower's formative years in Abilene, Kansas, were crucial to his development, providing him with the foundational experiences and values that shaped his future roles as a general and President of the United States.

Highlights:

• About Abilene
• Ike's Hobbies and Interests
• First Job and Early Schooling

1911-1915

West Point

After initially seeking an appointment to Annapolis, Dwight D. Eisenhower earned a spot at West Point, where he reported in June 1911 and graduated in 1915, beginning his military career.

Highlights:

• Preparing for the Future
• Football Career
• The Class the Stars Fell On

1915-1919

The Great War Years

Second Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower left Abilene to join the 19th Infantry at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In the next few years, he would serve at 8 different military posts, marry, become a father, and experience the Great War from stateside.

Highlights:

• Marriage and Parenthood
• Rising in Ranks
• Serving the Interior

1919-1927

The Watershed Years

In the decade following World War I, neither the country nor Dwight D. Eisenhower would ever return to life as it had been. These were the “Watershed Years,” and in Eisenhower’s own words, it was the time of the “greatest disappointment and tragedy of my life.”

Highlights:

• Meeting George Patton
• Camp Meade
• Distinguished Service Medal

1927-1935

The Washington Years

His time in Washington was an extraordinarily busy period of Ike’s life that placed him on the inside track of the nation’s military and political establishment.

Highlights:

• Army War College
• A Year in France
• The Great Depression

1935-1940

Clouds of War

Dwight D. Eisenhower would serve four long years in the Philippines under General Douglas MacArthur, military advisor to the new Philippine government.

Highlights:

• Years in the Philippines
• Moving Back to the U.S.

1941–1944

A Hard War; A Bitter, Bloody War

Five days after the disaster at Pearl Harbor, on December 12, 1941, Ike answered a phone call from Washington. “The Chief,” United States Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall, wanted him in Washington right away.

Highlights:

• Work at the War Department
• Forming the Allies

1944-1945

Nothing Less Than Full Victory

For the new Supreme Allied Commander, the last two years of the war would be his most challenging yet. Eisenhower would oversee the gargantuan plan for the invasion of Europe: the largest air, sea, and land assault in history.

Highlights:

• D-Day
• Germany Surrenders

1944-1951

Post-War

There were countless opportunities presented to Eisenhower after the war, and he turned most of them all down. To have served his country had been a great honor, and he refused to exploit it for personal gain.

Highlights:

• Writing his Memoir
• Columbia University Presidency

1951-1953

The Candidate

As early as 1943, Ike’s name had been casually linked with the highest office in the land. By 1948, public opinion polls indicated that he was America’s first choice for President of the United States.

Highlights:

• Eisenhower for President
• Democratic Angst

1951-1953

Ike's Family

By 1951, Ike and Mamie Eisenhower were at a comfortable stage in their lives. They had adapted to living a very public life and looked forward to being private citizens one day.

Highlights:

• Pressure of the Campaign
• Mamie's Support

1953-1957

Ike's First Term as President

On January 21, 1953, Dwight Eisenhower entered the Oval Office, better prepared than many who had come before him, to begin his first day as President of the United States.

Highlights:

• First Decisions as President
• A Day in the Life

1957-1961

Ike's Second Term as President

If Dwight D. Eisenhower had known in 1956 how contentious and difficult his second term would be, he might have been even more reluctant to consider reelection.

Highlights:

• Civil Rights
• Health Struggles
• Kennedy’s Election

1961-1969

The Statesmen

On January 20, 1961 President Eisenhower retired to his small farm adjacent to the battlefield outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Highlights:

• Kennedy Administration
• Johnson Administration
• Writing "The White House Years"