John Eisenhower

The Honorable John Eisenhower
45th United States Ambassador to Belgium
In office May 14, 1969 – September 28, 1971
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Ridgway Knight
Succeeded by	Robert Strausz-Hupe
Personal details
Born	John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (1922-08-03)August 3, 1922 Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Died	Trappe, Maryland, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Barbara Thompson (m. 1947; div. 1986) Joanne Thompson (m. 1988–2013, his death)
Relations	Elivera Mathilda Carlson (grandmother) Doud Dwight Eisenhower (brother)
Children	Dwight David Eisenhower II Barbara Anne Eisenhower Susan Eisenhower Mary Jean Eisenhower
Parents	Dwight David Eisenhower Mamie Geneva Doud
Alma mater	United States Military Academy Columbia University United States Army Command and General Staff College
Profession	Army officer, military historian, diplomat
Military career
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1963 (active) 1963–1974 (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel Brigadier General
Commands held	Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment Company D, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War
Awards	Bronze Star Medal Combat Infantryman Badge See more

John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (August 3, 1922 – December 21, 2013) was a United States Army officer and military historian. As the son of General, later President Dwight D. Eisenhower, his opportunities for front-line service were often restricted, at some cost to his career, though he ended as a decorated brigadier-general. In the administration of President Richard Nixon, his father’s vice-president, he served as United States Ambassador to Belgium.

Early life and education

John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born on August 3, 1922 in Denver, Colorado to future U.S. President and United States Army General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie. John Eisenhower was the second child of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower. Their elder son, Doud, known affectionately as "Icky", died in 1921, at age 3, after contracting scarlet fever. John Eisenhower, like his father, attended the United States Military Academy, graduating on June 6, 1944, the day of the Normandy landings, which his father was commanding.

Career

Eisenhower served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War, remaining on active duty until 1963; then serving in the U.S. Army Reserve until retirement in 1975 – attaining the rank of brigadier general. A decorated soldier, Eisenhower found his World War II military career thwarted by fears for his safety and concern from the top brass that his death or capture would be a distraction to his father, the Supreme Allied Commander. This issue arose again in 1952 when Major Eisenhower was assigned to fight in a combat unit in Korea while his father ran for President. After a short stint in combat with an infantry battalion, he was reassigned to the safety of division headquarters. In 2008, he wrote about this experience in an opinion piece in The New York Times entitled "Presidential Children Don't Belong in Battle".

During his father's presidency, John Eisenhower served as Assistant Staff Secretary in the White House, on the Army's General Staff, and in the White House as assistant to General Andrew Goodpaster.

In the administration of President Richard Nixon, who had been his father's Vice President, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Eisenhower Chairman of the Interagency Classification Review Committee. In 1975, he served President Gerald Ford as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees.

Marriage and children

Eisenhower married Barbara Jean Thompson on June 10, 1947. They divorced in 1986. The Eisenhowers had four children: Dwight David Eisenhower II (b. March 31, 1948, West Point, NY), who married Julie Nixon, herself a presidential daughter; Barbara Anne Eisenhower (b. May 30, 1949, West Point, NY), Susan Eisenhower (b. December 31, 1951, Fort Knox, KY), and Mary Jean Eisenhower (b. December 21, 1955, Washington, DC). In 1988, Eisenhower married Joanne Thompson. He lived in Trappe, Maryland, after moving there from Kimberton, Pennsylvania.

Later life and death

A lifelong Republican, Eisenhower voted for Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election, citing dissatisfaction with Republican incumbent George W. Bush's management of U.S. foreign policy. In later years, he had been an opponent of Frank Gehry's proposed design for the National Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, which he said was "too extravagant" and "attempts to do too much."

He died at Trappe, Maryland on December 21, 2013. From the death of John Coolidge in 2000 until his own death, Eisenhower was the oldest living presidential child. His burial was at West Point Cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy.

Writing

As a military historian, Eisenhower wrote several books, including The Bitter Woods, a study of the Battle of the Bulge, and So Far from God, a history of the U.S.-Mexican War. In a New York Times review of the latter, historian Stephen W. Sears remarked that Eisenhower "writes briskly and authoritatively, and his judgments are worth reading." John Eisenhower also wrote the forewords to Borrowed Soldiers, by Mitchell Yockelson of the U.S. National Archives, and to Kenneth W. Rendell's Politics, War and Personality: 50 Iconic Documents of World War II.

Bibliography

• ; Da Capo Press, 1995, ISBN 9780306806520
• Strictly Personal Doubleday, 1974, ISBN 9780385070713
• ; Da Capo Press, 2000, ISBN 9780306809415
• ; University of Oklahoma Press, 2000, ISBN 9780806132792

Awards and decorations

U.S. military decorations
	Bronze Star Medal
U.S. service medals
	American Defense Service Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ 2 bronze service stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	Army of Occupation Medal w/ "Germany" Clasp
	National Defense Service Medal
	Korean Service Medal w/ 3 bronze service stars
Foreign unit awards
	Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Non-U.S. service awards
	United Nations Service Medal
	Republic of Korea War Service Medal
U.S. Army badges
	Combat Infantryman Badge
	Glider Badge

Other honors

The city of Marshfield, Missouri chose Eisenhower as a 2008 honoree of the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative. His grandson, Merrill Eisenhower Atwater spoke on his behalf at Marshfield's annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate great initiative in their chosen field.

External links

• John Eisenhower at the Internet Movie Database
• John Eisenhower – Internet Accuracy Project
• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Booknotes interview with Eisenhower on Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott, April 19, 1998.