Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 and was the thirty-fourth President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. Before becoming president, he was a five-star general in the United States Army. During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe where he planned and supervised the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944 to 1945. He became the first supreme commander of NATO in 1951.

As President of the United States, he oversaw the cease-fire of the Korean War and kept the pressure on the USSR during the Cold War, made nuclear weapons a high defense priority, launched the Space Race, enlarged the Social Security program, signed civil rights legislation, and began the Interstate Highway System. Even though he left office with low approval rankings, he has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents by many historians.

During Eisenhower's time in office, the United States saw considerable economic growth, except during the 1958-1959 recession.

Dwight D. Eisenhower died March 28, 1969 from congestive heart failure and was buried at the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Center. His farm was donated to the National Park Service in 1967.

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