Presidential Message on the Birthday of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

On this day, we mark the 136th birthday of President Dwight David Eisenhower—a visionary leader, respected warrior, distinguished statesman, and noble public servant. In command of great armies and in the White House, he met every trial with steadiness, courage, and resolve, earning the enduring trust of the American People and the lasting gratitude of the free world.

Born in Denison, Texas, and raised in Abilene, Kansas, President Eisenhower began his legendary life of service to our great Nation as a graduate of West Point. His stellar military career spanned nearly four decades and included appointments such as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II, during which he orchestrated the historic D-Day Invasion of Normandy, and as NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In his first bid for the Presidency in 1952, the celebrated general and political outsider was elected in a landslide victory. After four years, Americans still liked “Ike” and handed him another decisive win in the 1956 election.

Eisenhower’s tenure in the White House was marked by peace, growth, economic prosperity, and a remarkable record of foreign and domestic accomplishments. He negotiated an armistice in the Korean War, signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Small Business Administration, and championed the Interstate Highway System, which connected communities across our country and boosted American commerce. Eisenhower’s commitment to military might and the preservation of our birthright of freedom is reflected in the cautionary words from his 1953 Inaugural Address: “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”