John Eisenhower
John S. D. Eisenhower | |
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![]() Eisenhower in 1990 | |
45thUnited States Ambassador toBelgium | |
In office May 14, 1969 – September 28, 1971 | |
President | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | Ridgway B. Knight |
Succeeded by | Robert Strausz-Hupe |
Personal details | |
Born | John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower August 3, 1922 Denver,Colorado,U.S. |
Died | December 21, 2013 (aged 91) Trappe,Maryland,U.S. |
Resting place | West Point Cemetery |
Political party | Republican |
Spouses | Barbara Thompson
(m.1947;div.1986)Joanne Thompson
(m.1988) |
Children | |
Parents | |
Alma mater | United States Military Academy(BS) Columbia University(MA) United States Army Command and General Staff College(MMAS) |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1944–1963 (active) 1963–1974 (reserve) |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands |
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Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower(August 3, 1922 – December 21, 2013) was aUnited States Armyofficer, diplomat, and military historian. He was the second son of PresidentDwight D. Eisenhowerand First LadyMamie Eisenhower.His military career spanned from before, during, and after his father's presidency, and he left active duty in 1963 and then retired in 1974. From 1969 to 1971, Eisenhower served asUnited States Ambassador to Belgiumduring theadministrationof PresidentRichard Nixon,who was previously his father's vice president and also father to Eisenhower's daughter-in-law.
Early life and education
[edit]John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born on August 3, 1922, atDenver General HospitalinDenver,Colorado,[1]to futureU.S. PresidentandUnited States ArmyGeneral of the ArmyDwight D. Eisenhowerand his wife,Mamie;he was their second child. Their elder son, Doud, known affectionately as "Icky", died in 1921, at age three, after contracting scarlet fever. Eisenhower, like his father, attended theUnited States Military Academy,graduating on June 6, 1944, the day of theNormandy landings,which his father was commanding.[2]He later earned an M.A. degree inEnglishandcomparative literaturefromColumbia Universityin 1950, and taught in the English Department atWest Pointfrom 1948 to 1951.[2][3]Eisenhower graduated from theArmy Command and General Staff Collegein 1955.[4]
Military career
[edit]Eisenhower served in the U.S. Army duringWorld War IIand theKorean War,remaining on active duty until 1963; then serving in theU.S. Army Reserveuntil retirement in 1975 – attaining the rank ofbrigadier general.[5]A decorated soldier, Eisenhower found his World War II military career thwarted by fears for his safety and concern from the top brass that his death or capture would be a distraction to his father, theSupreme Allied Commander.During World War II, he was assigned to intelligence and administrative duties. This issue arose again in 1952 when Major Eisenhower was assigned to fight in a combat unit in Korea while his father ran for president. But unlike World War II, John was able to see combat in Korea.[6]After seeing combat with an infantry battalion, he was reassigned to the3rd Divisionheadquarters.
Government career
[edit]During his father's presidency, Eisenhower served as Assistant Staff Secretary in theWhite House,on the Army's General Staff, and in the White House as assistant to GeneralAndrew Goodpaster.
In the administration of PresidentRichard Nixon,who had been his father's vice president, he served asU.S. Ambassador to Belgiumfrom 1969 to 1971. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Eisenhower chairman of theInteragency Classification Review Committee.[7]In 1975, he served PresidentGerald Fordas chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees.[8]
Later life and writing
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/President_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_State_Visit_to_Italy_%2801%29.jpg/220px-President_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_State_Visit_to_Italy_%2801%29.jpg)
As a military historian, Eisenhower wrote several books, includingThe Bitter Woods,a study of theBattle of the Bulge,andSo Far from God,a history of theMexican–American War.In aNew York Timesreview of the latter, historianStephen W. Searsremarked that Eisenhower "writes briskly and authoritatively, and his judgments are worth reading."[9]Eisenhower wroteZachary Taylor: The American Presidents Series: The 12th President, 1849–1850(2008).[10][11]He also wrote the forewords toBorrowed Soldiers,byMitchell Yockelsonof theU.S. National Archives,and toKenneth W. Rendell'sPolitics, War and Personality: 50 Iconic Documents of World War II.
In later years, he had been an opponent ofFrank Gehry's proposed design for the NationalDwight D. Eisenhower Memorial,which he said was "too extravagant" and "attempts to do too much."[12]
Presidential elections
[edit]A lifelongRepublican,Eisenhower voted forDemocratJohn Kerryin the2004 Presidential election,citing dissatisfaction with Republican incumbentGeorge W. Bush's management of U.S. foreign policy.[13]
During the2008 presidential election,in which presidential candidateJohn McCainand vice presidential candidatesSarah PalinandJoe Bidenall had children serving in the armed forces, Eisenhower wrote about his wartime experience as the son of a sitting president in a cautionary opinion piece inThe New York Timesentitled "Presidential Children Don't Belong in Battle".[14]
Death
[edit]Eisenhower died at Trappe, Maryland, on December 21, 2013.[15]From the death ofElizabeth Ann Blaesingin 2005 until his own death, Eisenhower was theoldest living presidential child;[16]on his death that distinction passed toLynda Bird Johnson,who still holds it as of 2023.[17]His burial was atWest Point Cemeteryon the grounds of the United States Military Academy.
Marriage and children
[edit]Eisenhower married Barbara Jean Thompson on June 10, 1947, only a few days before her twenty-first birthday. Barbara was born on June 15, 1926, inFort Knox, Kentucky,into an Army family. She was the daughter ofCol.Percy Walter Thompson (1898–1974) and his wife Beatrice (née Birchfield). Col. Thompson was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The Eisenhowers had four children:
- Dwight David Eisenhower II(b. 1948, West Point, New York), who marriedJulie Nixon,herself a presidential daughter;
- Barbara Anne Eisenhower(1949–2022, born in West Point, New York);
- Susan Elaine Eisenhower(b. 1951, Fort Knox, Kentucky);
- Mary Jean Eisenhower(b. 1955,Washington, D.C.).
All of his daughters were presented as debutantes tohigh societyat the prestigiousInternational Debutante Ballat the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.[18]
John and Barbara divorced in 1986 after thirty-nine years of marriage. In 1988, Barbara married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former vice president at theCampbell Soup Company.She died on September 19, 2014, inGladwyne,Montgomery County,Pennsylvania.
In 1988, Eisenhower married Joanne Thompson. He lived inTrappe, Maryland,after moving there fromKimberton, Pennsylvania.[19]
Military awards and decorations
[edit]U.S. military decorations | |
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Bronze Star Medal |
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Army Commendation Medal |
U.S. service medals | |
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American Defense Service Medal |
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American Campaign Medal |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalw/ 2 bronzeservice stars | |
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World War II Victory Medal |
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Army of Occupation Medalw/ "Germany"Clasp |
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National Defense Service Medal |
Korean Service Medalw/ 3 bronzeservice stars | |
Foreign unit awards | |
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Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
Non-U.S. service awards | |
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United Nations Service Medal |
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Republic of Korea War Service Medal |
U.S. Army badges | |
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Combat Infantryman Badge |
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Glider Badge |
Other honors
[edit]The city ofMarshfield, Missouri,chose Eisenhower as a 2008 honoree of theEdwin P. HubbleMedal of Initiative.[20]His grandson, Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, spoke on his behalf at Marshfield's annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate great initiative in their chosen field.
Dates of rank
[edit]Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
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Second lieutenant | Regular Army | June 6, 1944 |
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First lieutenant | Army of the United States | January 23, 1945 |
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Captain | Army of the United States | March 16, 1946 |
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First lieutenant | Regular Army | June 6, 1947 |
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Captain | Regular Army | May 14, 1951 |
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Major | Army of the United States | August 16, 1951 |
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Major | Regular Army | September 4, 1957 |
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Lieutenant colonel | Army of the United States | May 31, 1960 |
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Lieutenant colonel | Army Reserve | July 1, 1963 |
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Colonel | Army Reserve | July 1, 1967 |
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Brigadier general | Army Reserve | July 29, 1970 |
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Brigadier general | Retired | August 31, 1975 |
Family tree
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Bibliography
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Perret, Geoffrey (March 2, 2000).Eisenhower.Random House Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-375-50470-9.
- ^ab'John Eisenhower, Military Historian and Son of the President, Dies at 91,'The New York Times,Richard Goldstein, December 22. 2013
- ^"Class of 1944—Register of Graduates".Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802–1971 of the United States Military Academy.The West Point Alumni Foundation Inc. 1971. p. 535.RetrievedJuly 9,2022.
- ^U. S. Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired Lists.Vol. I. U.S. Government Printing Office. January 1, 1957. p. 250.RetrievedJuly 9,2022.
- ^"John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower".Internet Accuracy Project.
- ^"Obituary: Eisenhower's son John, at 91".New York Times.December 22, 2013.RetrievedNovember 27,2017– via Times Union.
- ^"History of the Information Security Oversight Office".archives.gov.The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.RetrievedMarch 23,2009.
- ^Woolley, John T.; Gerhard Peters."Remarks Upon Establishing the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees".The American Presidency Project.Santa Barbara, California:University of California.RetrievedMarch 23,2009.
- ^Stephen W. Sears(April 2, 1989)."Land Grab on the Rio Grande".New York Times.
- ^Eisenhower, John S. D. (2008). Jr, Arthur M. Schlesinger; Wilentz, Sean (eds.).Zachary Taylor: The American Presidents Series: The 12th President, 1849–1850.New York: Times Books.ISBN9780805082371.
- ^Eisenhower, John S. D. (September 27, 2008)."Opinion | The children of presidents and vice presidents shouldn't be in combat".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
- ^Zongker, Brett (November 16, 2013)."Eisenhower Memorial Approval Delayed Into 2013".Associated Press. Archived fromthe originalon October 10, 2013.RetrievedOctober 1,2013.
- ^Eisenhower, John (September 28, 2004)."Why I Will Vote for John Kerry for President".The Manchester Union Leader.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2006.RetrievedMay 19,2007.
- ^Eisenhower, John (September 27, 2008)."Presidential Children Don't Belong in Battle".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 28,2008.
- ^Goldstein, Richard (December 22, 2013)."John Eisenhower, Military Historian and Son of the President, Dies at 91".The New York Times.New York.
- ^"Former President John Tyler's (1790–1862) grandchildren still alive".January 25, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 25,2012.If Elizabeth Ann Harding Blaesing was actuallyWarren Harding's daughter, she would have been the oldest surviving presidential child from 1995 to her death in 2005, at which point John Eisenhower would have become the oldest.
- ^Pasley, James (July 3, 2019)."Where Are They Now: First kids of the United States".Business Insider.RetrievedSeptember 26,2020.
- ^Times, NY (December 29, 1973)."Eisenhower Gathering Marks Debutante Ball".New York Times.RetrievedJune 12,2018.
- ^"John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower".Internet Accuracy Project.RetrievedNovember 26,2012.
- ^"Hubble Medal of Initiative."Marshfield Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army, 1948. Vol. I. p. 528.
References
[edit]- Eisenhower, John S. D. (1974).Strictly Personal(1st ed.). Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.ISBN0-385-07071-3.
- McCaffree, Mary Jane;Innis, Pauline (1997).Protocol: The Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official and Social Usage(4th ed.). Washington: Devon.ISBN0-941402-04-5.
External links
[edit]- 1922 births
- 2013 deaths
- Eisenhower family
- United States Military Academy alumni
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- United States Military Academy faculty
- Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
- United States Army personnel of the Korean War
- United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
- American biographers
- American military historians
- Children of presidents of the United States
- American male biographers
- Maryland Republicans
- Military personnel from Colorado
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania
- Nixon administration personnel
- Pennsylvania Republicans
- United States Army generals
- Writers from Denver
- Writers from Maryland
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- Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium
- Burials at West Point Cemetery