Mamie Eisenhower, 31st First Lady of the United States

Mamie Geneva Doud-Eisenhower (November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

Early life

Birthplace of First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower, 709 (formerly 718) Carroll Street, Boone, IowaBorn in Boone, Iowa, the daughter of John Sheldon Doud, a prosperous meat packer, and Elivera Mathilda Carlson-Doud, Mamie grew up in relative comfort in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, and the Doud winter home in San Antonio, Texas. Her father retired at age 36 after making a fortune in the meatpacking industry. She and her three sisters grew up in large homes with several servants.[citation needed]

Marriage and family

It was soon after completing her education at Miss Wolcott's finishing school that she met Dwight Eisenhower at San Antonio in October 1915. Introduced by Mrs. Lulu Harris, wife of a fellow officer at Fort Sam Houston, the two hit it off at once, as Eisenhower, officer of the day, invited Miss Doud to accompany him on his rounds. On St. Valentine's Day in 1916 he gave her a miniature of his West Point class ring to seal a formal engagement.

The Doud House at 750 Lafayette Street in Denver, Colorado.Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower, aged 25, married Mamie Doud, aged 19, on July 1, 1916, at the home of the bride's parents in Denver, Colorado. Following the wedding, performed by Reverend Williamson of the Central Presbyterian Church in Denver, the newlyweds honeymooned a couple days at Eldorado Springs, Colorado a resort near Denver, and then visited the groom's parents in Abilene before settling into the lieutenant's crude living quarters at Fort Sam Houston.

The Eisenhowers had two children (only one lived to maturity):

Doud "Icky" Dwight Eisenhower (September 24, 1917 – January 2, 1921) died of scarlet fever.

John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (born August 3, 1922) – soldier, diplomat, author. Born in Denver, CO, he graduated from West Point in 1944 and earned a master's degree in English literature from Columbia University in 1950. After retiring from a prosperous military career (1944–1963), he was appointed ambassador to Belgium (1969–1971) by Richard Nixon. He has written an account of the Battle of the Bulge, The Bitter Woods (1969), Strictly Personal (1974), and Allies: Pearl Harbor to D-Day (1982).

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. Although accustomed to more creature comforts than those afforded at military posts, Mamie adjusted readily and joined her husband in moving 28 times before their retirement at the end of his term as president.[citation needed]

Mamie Eisenhower, with her husband, Dwight, on the steps of St. Mary's College, San Antonio, Texas, in 1916During the Second World War, while promotion and fame came to "Ike," his wife lived in Washington, D.C. After he became president of Columbia University in 1948, the Eisenhowers purchased a farm (now the Eisenhower National Historic Site) 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 villa near Paris—delayed work on their dream home, finally completed in 1955.[1]

First Lady of the United States

Mamie Eisenhower in her inaugural gown, painted in 1953 by Thomas StevensThey celebrated with a housewarming picnic for the staff from their last temporary quarters: the White House. 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. As First Lady, her outgoing manner, her feminine love of pretty clothes, some of them designed by Scaasi,[2] jewelry, and her obvious pride in husband and home made her a very popular First Lady. The gown she wore to her husband's inauguration is one of the most popular in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's collection of inaugural gowns.[3]

As First Lady, she was a gracious hostess but carefully guarded her privacy. A victim of Meniere's disease, an inner-ear disorder that affects equilibrium, Mrs. Eisenhower was uneasy on her feet, a spectacle that fed baseless rumors that she had a drinking problem.[4]

Mrs. Eisenhower was known as a penny pincher who clipped coupons for the White House staff. Her recipe for "Mamie's million dollar fudge" was reproduced by housewives all over the country after it was printed in many publications.[5]

As described in multiple biographies, including Upstairs at the White House by J. B. West, Mrs. Eisenhower was reportedly unhappy with the idea of John F. Kennedy coming into office following her husband's term. Despite new First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy having given birth to her son John Jr. via caesarean section two weeks prior, Mamie refused to inform Jackie that there was a wheelchair available for her to use while showing Mrs. Kennedy the various sections of the White House. Seeing Mamie's displeasure during the tour, Jackie kept her composure while in Mrs. Eisenhower's presence, finally collapsing in private once the new First Lady returned home. When Mamie Eisenhower was later questioned as to why she would do such a thing, the former First Lady simply stated, "Because she never asked."[citation needed]

Later life

Mamie Eisenhower Portrait, 04/27/1971In 1961 Mrs. Eisenhower retired with the former president to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, their first permanent home. After her husband's death in 1969, she continued to live full time on the farm until she took an apartment in Washington, D.C. in the late 1970s.[6] She suffered a stroke on September 25, 1979 and was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital, where Ike had died a decade before. Mamie didn't leave the hospital and on October 31, announced to her granddaughter, Mary, that she would die the next day. Indeed, she died quietly in her sleep very early the morning of November 1,[7] just a few weeks shy of her 83rd birthday. She was buried next to the president and her first son at Place of Meditation on the grounds of the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. In 1980 her birthplace in Boone, Iowa was dedicated as a historic site; Abigail Adams is the only other First Lady to be so honored.

Because of her connection with the city of Denver and the area surrounding, a park in southeast Denver was given Mamie's name, as well as a public library in Broomfield, a suburb of Denver.

Culture

Hollywood starlet Joan Olander signed her contract with Universal Studios the day Eisenhower was inaugurated, and the studio gave her the name Mamie Van Doren, after the new first lady.[8]

Wikipedia

Spouse

Dwight David Eisenhower

Born: 14 Oct 1890 in Denison, Grayson, Texas, USA

Died: 28 Mar 1969 in Washington, [county], District Of Columbia, USA

Marriage: 1 Jul 1916 in Denver, [county], Colorado, USA View Info

Children Sex Birth

Doud Dwight Eisenhower M 24 Sep 1917 in Denver, [county], Colorado, USA

John Sheldon Eisenhower M 3 Aug 1922 in Denver, [county], Colorado, USA

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower's bangs and sparkling blue eyes were as much trademarks of an administration as the president's famous grin. Her outgoing manner, love of pretty clothes and jewelry, and obvious pride in husband and home made her a very popular first lady.

Born in 1896 in Boone, Iowa, Mamie Geneva Doud moved with her family to Denver Colorado when she was seven. During winters the family made long visits to relatives in the milder climate of San Antonio, Texas. There, in 1915, Mamie met Dwight D. Eisenhower, a young second lieutenant. On 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.

Mamie's new life followed the pattern of other army wives: a succession of posts in the United States, the Panama Canal Zone, France, and the Philippines. She once estimated that in 37 Years she had unpacked her household at least 27 times. Each move meant another step up the career ladder for her husband, with increasing responsibilities for her. Their first son Doud Dwight or "Icky," born in 1917, died of scarlet fever in 1921. A second, 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.

During World War II, while fame came to "Ike," Mamie lived in Washington. In 1948, the Eisenhowers purchased a farm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the first home they had ever owned. When her husband campaigned for president, Mamie 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.

When their Gettysburg dream home was finally completed in 1955, the Eisenhowers celebrated with a housewarming picnic for the White House staff. In 1961, they retired there for eight contented years 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. Find a Grave

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First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was John Hibbard's 2nd Cousin 6 times removed