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Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1890-1969
Thirty-fourth president, 1953–61
In American politics, a successful military career has often led to the presidency, and so it proved with Dwight D. Eisenhower, who gained fame during World War II as supreme commander in Europe. Eisenhower was courted by both political parties, and he became the Republican nominee in 1952, chosen over the more conservative Robert Taft. Eisenhower defeated Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson in a campaign that attacked the Democrat's foreign policy savvy and toughness. With Eisenhower's personal appeal -- the slogan was "I Like Ike" -- and military background, the Republican ticket was elected and then reelected in 1956. In office, Eisenhower ended the Korean War, maintained an uneasy balance with the Soviet bloc, and domestically presided over a period of general prosperity. A moderate conservative, he was cautious on issues of civil liberties and civil rights but left office warning of the growth of a "military industrial complex" that threatened both government and American values. Once criticized as too passive a president, Eisenhower now draws widespread praise for his quiet, effective leadership during the 1950s.
Thomas E. Stephens, 1955 |