The legacy of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president is one of dignity and purpose. Previously he been a capable military leader, and in his seasoned presidential years after World War 11, he sought peace and a stable economy above all else. He wanted a balanced budget and moderation in all things.

Although critics called his years in the White House bland and thought he should have taken a more active role in civil rights, he thought the time as one in which to reflect and to assess the condition of the nation and to be cautious and not to jump randomly on every bandwagon that came along; nor to be blown here and there with every breeze blowing through with winds of change.

In 1961, in his Farewell address, he appealed to the nation "to reject the lure of materialism and the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow". During his years as president, he took a vigorous stand against communism, fought against defense spending, and against the disastrous rise of misplaced powers".

During World War 11 he was the commanding general of the European war zone. Previously he was in the Pacific under General Douglas MacArthur.
After the war he was president of Columbia University when politicians asked him to think of running for the top job.

Actually, he was in Paris, having taken leave from Columbia to preside over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (NATO) the program of security and aid to Europe, when he was talked into running. He chose Richard M. Nixon as his running mate. The victory was an easy one. He had few detractors.

His was a 'sweeping' victory and his slogan "I Like Ike" was a popular one. It was fashionable to be seen wearing Ike buttons. The thirty-fourth president was a popular president, and although he made only a few ripples, his legacy is an honorable one.

To read his Farewell address, in a sense, is to go back in time. It's almost as if we are living in the times he warned us about. "Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fieldsa government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiositymust avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and must be, instead, a proud federation o mutual trust and respect".

He was born October 14, 1890 in Texas and grew up in Abilene, the third of seven sons. As a youth he excelled in sports. In 1916 he Married Geneva Doud, better known as "Mamie". (At the time she presided over the White House as hostess, she was famous for her hair style, especially her bangs.

Sources:
www.americanpresidents.org/
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presiden ts/34_Eisenhower/
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/ike .htm

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