Dwight D. Eisenhower

a.k.a. Dwight David Eisenhower

Author Code: ADDE

Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915 and saw action in numerous conflicts up to and including the Second World War. In February 1942, he was named chief of the War Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Staff and subsequently that year was appointed commander of US forces in the European theater. He led the invasion of North Africa and in 1944 was appointed Supremem Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Western Europe. He directed the D-Day invasion of Germany and after the surrender was commander of the US occupation zone. He became Chief of Staff in 1945. He left the army in 1948 to take the post of president of Columbia University, but took a leave of absence in 1951 to serve as the Supreme Commander of NATO. He resigned this post to campaign for the US presidency in 1952 as a Republican. He ran against Adlai Stevenson in the election and won a resounding victory. He again defeated Stevenson four years later to be re-elected president. Eisenhower's approach was that of "Moderate Republicanism" and he delegated much of foreign policy to his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. On the domestic front and in party responsibilities, he delegated much of these to Richard Nixon, his Vice-President. During his administration, a vast national highway program was initiated, social security laws were liberalized and a great deal of urban renewal was undertaken. He ended the Korean War and initiated the SEATO arrangement. He also eased relations with Latin America through the Organization of American States.