'John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower' (born
August 3,
1922 in
Denver,
Colorado) is a retired
U.S. military officer and the author of several books of military history. He served as the
U.S. Ambassador to
Belgium from 1969–1971.
Eisenhower was born to future
U.S. President and
World War II-era general
Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife,
Mamie. The younger Eisenhower, like his father, attended the
United States Military Academy, graduating on
June 6,
1944, the very day of the epic
Normandy landings his father was commanding.
John Eisenhower served in the Army during
World War II and the
Korean War, later attaining the rank of
brigadier general in the
U.S. Army Reserve. 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 capture would be an unwanted distraction to his father, the
Supreme Allied Commander.
During his father's presidency, Eisenhower served as Assistant Staff Secretary in the
White House, on the Army's General Staff, and in the White House as assistant to Gen.
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.
Eisenhower's greatest achievements have come as a military historian. Several of his books have proven popular with readers and reviewers alike. His best-known history, ''The Bitter Woods'', is perhaps the definitive study of the Battle of the Bulge. ''So Far from God'' is a highly regarded history of the
Mexican War.
Eisenhower lives in
Trappe, Maryland after moving there from
Kimberton, Pennsylvania. He married Barbara Jean Thompson on
June 10,
1947. They divorced in 1986. The Eisenhowers had four children including 3 daughters and a son,
Dwight David, who married
Julie Nixon, herself a presidential daughter. In 1988, Eisenhower married Joanne Thompson.
A life-long
Republican, Eisenhower became independent and voted for
Democrat John Kerry in the
2004 Presidential election, citing Republican incumbent
George W. Bush's mismanagement of U.S. foreign policy.
[1]
As of 2007, the 85-year-old Eisenhower is the oldest living Presidential child. However,
Margaret Truman, the daughter of his father's predecessor,
Harry S Truman, is the earliest surviving child of a U.S. President.
Books
★ ''The Bitter Woods'' (1969)
★ ''Strictly Personal'' (1974)
★ ''Allies, Pearl Harbor to D-Day'' (1982)
★ ''So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848'' (1989)
★ ''Intervention! : The United States Involvement in the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1917'' (1993)
★ ''Agent of Destiny : The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott'' (1997)
★ ''Yanks : The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I'' (2001)
★ ''General Ike : A Personal Reminiscence'' (2003)
References
1. Why I Will Vote for John Kerry for President
External links
★
John Eisenhower - Internet Accuracy Project