Eisenhower, Mamie Doud, 1896-1979

Source Citation

Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower; born Novemer 14, 1896; died November 1, 1979; Presidential First Lady. She was the wife of US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and served in this position from January 1953 until January 1961. The 2nd of four daughters of a meatpacking executive, she grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, and the Doud winter home in San Antonio, Texas. After completing her education at Miss Wolcott's finishing school, she met Dwight Eisenhower at San Antonio in October 1915. A new 2nd lieutenant, he had just graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, New York and was serving in his first assignment in Texas. They were married in July 1916 at her father's home in Denver.

Citations

Date: 1896-11-14 (Birth) - 1979-11-01 (Death)

Source Citation

<p>Married at the age of 19, Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower was the wife of the 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a very popular First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.</p>

<p>Mamie Eisenhower’s bangs and sparkling blue eyes were as much trademarks of an administration as the President’s famous grin. Her outgoing manner, her feminine love of pretty clothes and jewelry, and her obvious pride in husband and home made her a very popular First Lady.</p>

<p>Born in Boone, Iowa, Mamie Geneva Doud moved with her family to Colorado when she was seven. Her father retired from business, and Mamie and her three sisters grew up in a large house in Denver. During winters the family made long visits to relatives in the milder climate of San Antonio, Texas.</p>

<p>There, in 1915, at Fort Sam Houston, Mamie met Dwight D. Eisenhower, a young second lieutenant on his first tour of duty. She drew his attention instantly, he recalled: “a vivacious and attractive girl, smaller than average, saucy in the look about her face and in her whole attitude.” On St. Valentine’s Day in 1916 he gave her a miniature of his West Point class ring to seal a formal engagement; they were married at the Doud home in Denver on July 1.</p>

<p>For years Mamie Eisenhower’s life followed the pattern of other Army wives: a succession of posts in the United States, in the Panama Canal Zone; duty in France, in the Philippines. She once estimated that in 37 years she had unpacked her household at least 27 times. Each move meant another step in the career ladder for her husband, with increasing responsibilities for her.</p>

<p>The first son Doud Dwight or “Icky,” who was born in 1917, died of scarlet fever in 1921. A second child, John, was born in 1922 in Denver. Like his father he had a career in the army; later he became an author and served as ambassador to Belgium.</p>

<p>During World War II, while promotion and fame came to “Ike,” his wife lived in Washington. After he became president of Columbia University in 1948, the Eisenhowers purchased a farm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the first home they had ever owned. His duties as commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces–and hers as his hostess at a chateau near Paris–delayed work on their dream home, finally completed in 1955. They celebrated with a housewarming picnic for the staff from their last temporary quarters: the White House.</p>

<p>When Eisenhower had campaigned for President, his wife cheerfully shared his travels; when he was inaugurated in 1953, the American people warmly welcomed her as First Lady. Diplomacy–and air travel–in the postwar world brought changes in their official hospitality. The Eisenhowers entertained an unprecedented number of heads of state and leaders of foreign governments, and Mamie’s evident enjoyment of her role endeared her to her guests and to the public.</p>

<p>In 1961 the Eisenhowers returned to Gettysburg for eight years of contented retirement together. After her husband’s death in 1969, Mamie continued to live on the farm, devoting more of her time to her family and friends. Mamie Eisenhower died on November 1, 1979. She is buried beside her husband in a small chapel on the grounds of the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.</p>

Citations

Source Citation

<p>Mamie Geneva Eisenhower (née Doud; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was wife of United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower and thereby First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.</p>

<p>Mamie married Dwight Eisenhower at age 19 in 1916. The young couple moved frequently between military quarters in many postings, from Panama to the Philippines. As First Lady, she entertained a wide range of foreign dignitaries, who reacted well to her confident style and clothing choices.</p>

<p>Mamie Eisenhower spent her retirement and widowhood at the family farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.</p>

Citations

Unknown Source

Citations

Name Entry: Eisenhower, Mamie Doud, 1896-1979

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Name Entry: Doud, Mamie Geneva, 1896-1979

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Name Entry: Eisenhower, Mamie Geneva Doud, 1896-1979

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Note: Contributors from initial SNAC EAC-CPF ingest