Dwight David Eisenhower (commonly referred to by his initials, Ike) served two terms as President from 1953 to 1961. As war hero and general, who commanded Allied forces after World War II in Europe. Eisenhower won election with an overwhelming majority, ending decades of Democratic control in Washington D.C. Scholars often rank Eisenhower among America’s greatest presidents.
Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas on October 14, 1890 into a large and deeply religious family. Although opposed to militarism, his parents supported his education and in June 1911 he enrolled at West Point. Earning his commission as second lieutenant he spent the 1920s and 1930s serving in Panama Canal Zone and Philippines units before attending Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Kansas between 1925-26 where he graduated first in his class before serving the European Theater of Operations until 1943 with subsequent promotions to brigadier general status.
