Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. His parents were David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Stover Eisenhower. He had two older brothers, Arthur and Edgar, and three younger ones, Roy, Earl, and Milton. Predictions made in his high school yearbook saw Dwight becoming a history professor, and strangely enough, his older brother Edgar becoming President of the United States.
Many happenings in Dwight’s life show leadership ability. In 1941, Eisenhower was appointed by the army to plan the strategy for the Third Army in war games in Louisiana. He brilliantly defeated the enemy force, which earned him a promotion to brigadier general in September 1941.
The U.S. entered World War II in December of 1941. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, brought Eisenhower to Washington D.C.
C. served in the Army’s War Plans Division. He was then named Commanding General of the U.S. forces in the European Theatre of Operations. In July 1942, Eisenhower became Lieutenant General.
Also named commander of Allied forces to invade North Africa, Eisenhower led the successful campaign to recapture the region from German and Italian forces. He was promoted to four-star general in February 1943 and worked to create unity among all foreign commanders throughout these campaigns.
Many Americans viewed this as a difficult job. Eisenhower said, Good leadership was not a matter of issuing orders, but of enforcing obedience.” With Eisenhower’s experience in leadership, many Americans thought he would make a great president. During his presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower was faced with many difficult tasks and decisions.
Eisenhower was running for office. He had promised that he would travel personally to Korea to establish a truce. In the middle of the year 1953, he fulfilled this promise. In 1954, Eisenhower sent protection to South Vietnam in an effort to prevent its takeover by Communist-run North Vietnam. He also launched a major federal public works program that established the national interstate highway system and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
In 1956, he was forced to deal with his first domestic crisis: the violent reaction to court-ordered racial segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. He quickly restored peace by nationalizing the Arkansas National Guard and sending in additional troops. In 1961, Eisenhower cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba in response to the Cuban Revolution of 1959. These were just a few of the difficult decisions that Eisenhower had to make during his presidency.
The American public had faith in their president to make the right decision. Eisenhower had full support from the American public.
Bibliography: The American Presidency, http://www.grolier.com/presidents/Eisenhower, Dwight D Eisenhower Encarta Encyclopedia, 1998, History.
