The 34th POTUS Dwight Eisenhower was born on this day in 1890. He died at the age of 77 in 1969.

Ten Notes on President Dwight David Eisenhower.

1. Dwight Eisenhower was 5’10”, he had light brown hair. He was born in Denison, Texas. Although he was born in Denison, his family moved to Abilene, Kansas when he was very young and that is where he grew up. In the early 1900’s Eisenhower’s older brother Arthur lived in the same Kansas City boarding house as future POTUS Harry S. Truman. Ike was in high school at that time.

2. Ike is one of those presidents who had he never became POTUS he would have still been all over the history books. World War II supreme Allied Commander 1943. He led the Normandy invasion June 6,1944. D-Day.

3. Ike was not a career politician. He only ran for office in two elections- for POTUS in 1952 and for his re-election as POTUS in 1956. Since Ike we have had nothing but career politicians. When Ike left office he was the oldest POTUS ever[at that time} and the man replacing him, John Kennedy was the youngest ever elected POTUS. I wonder if we will ever have another POTUS who wasn’t a career politician. It might be worth a shot. I think a lot of people are sick of the career politican.

4. Ike as POTUS was kind of like the legendary baseball manager Casey Stengel. They spoke their own language. A lot of people didn’t realize that Ike wasn’t confused but was just giving a confusing answer because he didn’t want to answer the question. By the time he was done answering the question you would forget what the question actually was. Ike also had a notoriously bad temper that he was always struggling to keep under control.

5. The Presidential retreat in the mountains of Maryland north of Washington, D.C. was called “Shangri-La” by President Franklin Roosevelt. Ike renamed it to Camp David, in honor of his grandson. His grandson David Eisenhower married Julie Nixon. Also David Eisenhower was who John Fogerty had in mind when he wrote one of his greatest songs “Fortunate Son”

6. In 1919 Ike acted as an observer of the Transcontinental Motor Truck Trip, an army convoy to test motorized transports over long distances. The lack of a unified highway system troubled Eisenhower. In 1956 as POTUS he did something about it. The Federal Highway Act of 1956 established the interstate highway system in the United States. More than 40,000 miles of roads were built. I can’t image the country today without the interstate highways. Not that it is the most exciting way to travel but to get from one place to another quickly it sure does work well.

7. As POTUS Ike had health problems, the worst was in September of 1955 when he suffered a heart attack. He was in the hospital for nearly two months and then he went to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to recuperate. The next fall he had no trouble winning re-election, he beat Adlai Stevenson like a rented mule 457 electoral votes to 73. I can’t imagine today a POTUS having a heart attack and being hospitalized for 2 months, then winning re-election the next year. The scary part of Ike’s health issues is the man who would have replaced him had he died. I don’t think Dick Nixon was ready in 1955 to become POTUS. Ike also suffered a slight stroke in 1957 and was operated on for Crohn’s disease in 1956. All said, I think if he could have ran for a third term in 1960 he would have won a third term.

8. During Ike’s eight years in office he appointed 5ive Supreme Court Justices, including Earl Warren as Chief Justice in 1953. Ike later considered the appointment of Earl Warren his worst decision. He also appointed William Brennan, Potter Stewart, John Marshall Harlan and Charles Whitaker.

9. Ike’s standing as a POTUS continues to rise with time. 30-35 years ago he was considered by most of the expects average. as time has gone on he is now considered right below the best of them, a near great president.

10. Ike’s main hobby was golfing. He was famous for his enthusiasm for golfing. Oil painting was his second favourite hobby.