John Eisenhower | |
|---|---|
 Eisenhower in 1990 | |
| 45thUnited States Ambassador toBelgium | |
| In office May 14, 1969 – September 28, 1971 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Ridgway B. Knight |
| Succeeded by | Robert Strausz-Hupe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (1922-08-03)August 3, 1922 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 2013(2013-12-21) (aged 91) Trappe, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | West Point Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | |
| Parents | |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Columbia University (MA) United States Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1963 (active) 1963–1974 (reserve) |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (August 3, 1922 – December 21, 2013) was aUnited States Army officer, diplomat, and military historian. He was the second son of PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower and First LadyMamie Eisenhower. His military career spanned from before, during, and after his father's presidency, and he left active duty in 1963 and then retired in 1974. From 1969 to 1971, Eisenhower served asUnited States Ambassador to Belgium during theadministration of PresidentRichard Nixon, who was previously his father's vice president and also father-in-law to Eisenhower's son David.
John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower was born on August 3, 1922, atDenver General Hospital inDenver, Colorado,[1] to futureU.S. President andUnited States Army General of the ArmyDwight D. Eisenhower and his wife,Mamie; he was their second child. Their elder son, Doud, known affectionately as "Icky", died in 1921, at age three, after contracting scarlet fever. Eisenhower, like his father, attended theUnited States Military Academy, graduating on June 6, 1944, the day of theNormandy landings, which his father was commanding.[2] He later earned an M.A. degree inEnglish andcomparative literature fromColumbia University in 1950, and taught in the English Department atWest Point from 1948 to 1951.[2][3] Eisenhower graduated from theArmy Command and General Staff College in 1955.[4]
Eisenhower served in the U.S. Army duringWorld War II and theKorean War, remaining on active duty until 1963; then serving in theU.S. Army Reserve until retirement in 1975 – attaining the rank ofbrigadier general.[5] 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, theSupreme Allied Commander. During World War II, he was assigned to intelligence and administrative duties. 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. But unlike World War II, John was able to see combat in Korea.[6] After seeing combat with an infantry battalion, he was reassigned to the3rd Division headquarters.
During his father's presidency, Eisenhower served as assistant staff secretary in theWhite House, on the Army's general staff, and in the White House as assistant to GeneralAndrew Goodpaster.
In the administration of PresidentRichard Nixon, who had been his father's vice president, he served asU.S. Ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971. In 1972, President Nixon appointed Eisenhower chairman of theInteragency Classification Review Committee.[7] In 1975, he served PresidentGerald Ford as chairman of the President's Advisory Committee on Refugees.[8]
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As a military historian, Eisenhower wrote several books, includingThe Bitter Woods, a study of theBattle of the Bulge, andSo Far from God, a history of theMexican–American War. In aNew York Times review of the latter, historianStephen W. Sears remarked that Eisenhower "writes briskly and authoritatively, and his judgments are worth reading."[9] Eisenhower wroteZachary Taylor: The American Presidents Series: The 12th President, 1849–1850 (2008).[10][11] He also wrote the forewords toBorrowed Soldiers, byMitchell Yockelson of theU.S. National Archives, and toKenneth W. Rendell'sPolitics, War and Personality: 50 Iconic Documents of World War II.
In later years, he had been an opponent ofFrank Gehry's proposed design for the NationalDwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, which he said was "too extravagant" and "attempts to do too much."[12]
A lifelongRepublican, Eisenhower voted forDemocratJohn Kerry in the2004 Presidential election, citing dissatisfaction with Republican incumbentGeorge W. Bush's management of U.S. foreign policy.[13]
During the2008 presidential election, in which presidential candidateJohn McCain and vice presidential candidatesSarah Palin andJoe Biden all had children serving in the armed forces, Eisenhower wrote about his wartime experience as the son of a sitting president in a cautionary opinion piece inThe New York Times titled "Presidential Children Don't Belong in Battle".[14]
Eisenhower died in Trappe, Maryland, on December 21, 2013.[15] From the death ofElizabeth Ann Blaesing in 2005 until his own death, Eisenhower was theoldest living presidential child;[16] on his death that distinction passed toLynda Bird Johnson, who still holds it as of 2025.[17] His burial was atWest Point Cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy.
Eisenhower married Barbara Jean Thompson on June 10, 1947, only a few days before her twenty-first birthday. Barbara was born on June 15, 1926, inFort Knox, Kentucky, into an Army family. She was the daughter ofCol. Percy Walter Thompson (1898–1974) and his wife Beatrice (née Birchfield). Col. Thompson was commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The Eisenhowers had four children:
All of his daughters were presented as debutantes tohigh society at the prestigiousInternational Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.[18]
John and Barbara divorced in 1986 after thirty-nine years of marriage. In 1988, Barbara married widower Edwin J. Foltz, a former vice president at theCampbell Soup Company. She died on September 19, 2014, inGladwyne,Montgomery County,Pennsylvania.
In 1988, Eisenhower married Joanne Thompson. He lived inTrappe, Maryland, after moving there fromKimberton, Pennsylvania.[19]
| U.S. military decorations | |
 | Bronze Star Medal |
 | Army Commendation Medal |
| U.S. service medals | |
 | American Defense Service Medal |
 | American Campaign Medal |
  | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ 2 bronzeservice stars |
 | World War II Victory Medal |
 | Army of Occupation Medal w/ "Germany"Clasp |
 | National Defense Service Medal |
 | Korean Service Medal w/ 3 bronzeservice 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 |
The city ofMarshfield, Missouri, chose Eisenhower as a 2008 honoree of theEdwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative.[20] 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.
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second lieutenant | Regular Army | June 6, 1944 |
 | First lieutenant | Army of the United States | January 23, 1945 |
 | Captain | Army of the United States | March 16, 1946 |
| First lieutenant | Regular Army | June 6, 1947 |
| Captain | Regular Army | May 14, 1951 |
 | Major | Army of the United States | August 16, 1951 |
| Major | Regular Army | September 4, 1957 |
 | Lieutenant colonel | Army of the United States | May 31, 1960 |
| Lieutenant colonel | Army Reserve | July 1, 1963 |
 | Colonel | Army Reserve | July 1, 1967 |
 | Brigadier general | Army Reserve | July 29, 1970 |
| Brigadier general | Retired | August 31, 1975 |
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Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Belgium 1969–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Minister Resident | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
