Dwight David Eisenhower, widely known by his nickname “Ike,” served as the 34th President of the United States from 20 January 1953 to 20 January 1961. Before entering politics, he achieved international fame as a career military officer, serving as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Western Europe during the final stages of World War II and later becoming the first Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in 1951.

Dwight David Eisenhower was born on 14 October 1890 in Denison, Texas, as the third of seven sons in a poor family. After graduating from high school in 1909, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1911 and graduated in 1915 as a second lieutenant. Following his graduation, he served in Texas, Georgia, and San Antonio until 1918. During World War I, he commanded a tank training center and was promoted to captain, earning the Distinguished Service Medal for his performance.

Between 1922 and 1924, Eisenhower served in the Panama Canal Zone. After graduating first in his class from the Army Command and General Staff School in 1926, he completed his education at the Army War College. Following assignments in France and Washington, he was appointed aide-de-camp in 1933 to General Douglas MacArthur, then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Two years later, he accompanied MacArthur to the Philippines, where he assisted in organizing the local armed forces.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Eisenhower returned to the United States. In June 1941, he was promoted to colonel and appointed Chief of Staff of the Third Army. After the United States entered the war, he was assigned to the War Plans Division. In March 1942, he became a brigadier general, and by June 1942—despite many senior officers outranking him—he was appointed Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe. In July 1942, he was promoted to lieutenant general and tasked with leading the Allied invasion of North Africa, known as Operation Torch. The campaign, which began on 8 November 1942, concluded successfully in May 1943. Eisenhower was promoted to full general in February 1943.

On 24 December 1943, Dwight David Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. He planned and commanded the historic D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, deploying nearly one million soldiers and approximately 4,000 ships to the Normandy coast. In March 1945, Allied forces crossed the Rhine River, and on 7 May 1945, Germany surrendered, bringing the war in Europe to an end.

After the war, Eisenhower was appointed Chief of Staff of the United States Army by President Harry S. Truman. He retired from active military service in May 1948 and became President of Columbia University. In early 1951, Truman appointed him as the first Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, a role that took him to Paris to oversee the alliance’s military organization.

In June 1952, Eisenhower resigned from his NATO post to seek the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. He won the primaries and selected California Senator Richard Nixon as his running mate. On 20 January 1953, Dwight David Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States.

Soon after taking office, Eisenhower visited Korea and, taking advantage of the political climate following the death of Joseph Stalin, succeeded in initiating armistice negotiations that ended the Korean War in July 1953. He was reelected president in 1958 and served until 20 January 1961, when he transferred power to his successor, John F. Kennedy.

After leaving the presidency, Eisenhower was restored to the rank of General of the Army by act of Congress. He retired to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he devoted much of his time to writing his memoirs.

In 1949, Dwight David Eisenhower published his memoir Crusade in Europe. He later authored additional works reflecting on leadership and peace.

Marriage:
Dwight David Eisenhower married Mamie Geneva Doud on 1 April 1916. They had two sons, one of whom died of scarlet fever at the age of three, and the other, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (born 1922), survived.

Dwight David Eisenhower died on 28 March 1969 at the age of 79 in Washington, D.C. He is remembered not only as a wartime leader and two-term president but also as the first U.S. president to officially visit Turkey.

Books:
1949 – Crusade in Europe
1963 – Mandate for Change
1965 – Waging Peace

Source: Biyografiler.com