“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Inaugural Address, 1/20/53
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas in 1890. He was named after the great evangelist of that period, Dwight L. Moody. His parents moved Dwight and his brothers to Abilene, Kansas, when Dwight was two, and it is this location that Dwight considered as his hometown. For most of Dwight’s life, he went by the nickname Ike, as did his father and brothers! The nickname is derived from their last name, with each “Ike” differentiated by an adjective, such as Big Ike, etc. Dwight’s parents had a total of seven sons, so there were lots of “Ikes”!
Unable to afford college, Dwight accepted an offer to attend West Point in 1911. He was not necessarily a stellar student and graduated somewhere in the middle of his class. Once graduated, however, he was able to prove great military acuity. It was during his years of military training that he met and married Mamie Doud, and together they forged a union that lasted for 52 years, until Dwight’s death. Together they had two sons; however, only one made it to adulthood. Their first son, named Doud Dwight, but endearingly nicknamed Icky, died at age two of Scarlet Fever. The Eisenhower’s second son, John, went on to have his own noteworthy military career.
President Eisenhower’s career began by managing staff assignments under some of the most prominent generals of our country’s military. By 1944, however, Dwight was supreme commander of the Allied Forces in France and oversaw D-Day. By the end of World War II, Dwight Eisenhower had become a national hero. Much has been written about Eisenhower’s military accomplishments, but, I’d like to spend some time on Eisenhower’s presidency. Calm and capable under fire, our country saw Eisenhower as a president who could lead us into prosperity and away from the grief of war. He easily beat out his Democratic opponent, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson in both his first presidential campaign and in his second.
History looks back on President Eisenhower as a moderate Republican who willingly continued many of the social programs begun under the New Deal and Fair Deal Acts from Roosevelt’s presidency, including Social Security. In addition to continuing these popular social programs, President Eisenhower was also a big proponent of a balanced congressional budget. He may well be remembered most for his implementation of the Interstate Highway System, and we can thank Ike for this accomplishment any time we drive down Route 81! Finally, Eisenhower is seen as successfully walking a tightrope with the Soviet Union when it came to Cold War hostilities. For all of these accomplishments, we are truly thankful!
During a vicious effort to thwart the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to squelch the upheaval in 1957. Although seen as a forceful act on Eisenhower’s part, history looks back on Eisenhower as a bit lackluster in his stance on integration. It took future administrations to more successfully deal with this heavy social issue. Also, in spite of good intentions, Eisenhower’s policies in Vietnam are seen as being a precursor to what became the Vietnam War.
Eisenhower retired from two terms as president to a sprawling farm in Gettysburg, just in our “backyard”. If you have not taken the Christmas Tour of the Eisenhower farmhouse, I encourage you to do so! It is beautifully decorated just as Mamie would have done during the golden years of their retirement. Also, if you visit Gettysburg Presbyterian church during the town’s historic days, you can see the commemorated pew where the Eisenhowers faithfully sat.
Dear Lord, we thank you for President Eisenhower and his contributions to this country – during a time of war and then in relative peace. We thank you for the clarity to acknowledge both his accomplishments, and his very human shortcomings. They serve as a reminder to us that our own actions, in all of their goodness and in their failings, have a far-reaching ripple effect beyond anything we ourselves can see. May we continually do our best to make choices that reflect the love of Jesus.
Blessings to all – Diana
Resources:
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Life in Brief – https://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/life-in-brief
The White House Historical Association, Dwight D. Eisenhower – https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/dwight-eisenhower
National Archives, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Quotes – https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes
Wikipedia, Dwight D. Eisenhower – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower#Personal_life
Recent Comments