Mamie Doud Eisenhower, 82, the widow of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and one of the nation's most admired women, died of cardiac arrest yesterday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The wife of President Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower, Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) represented what was to 1950s America the ideal American wife: exuding quiet strength, finding satisfaction in domestic duties, supporting her husband unhesitatingly. He enjoyed a career in the U.S. Army and later became an author and ambassador to Belgium. ", Former Gov. [25] She held great reverence for the building itself, saying that she "never drove up to the south portico without a lump coming to [her] throat". . When she was born few people had seen an automobile in person but by the time she died, cars were not only commonplace, but men had traveled into space to walk on . Encyclopedia.com. She kept house and served as hostess for military officers as they moved between various postings in the United States, Panama, the Philippines, and France. The biographies of the First Ladies on WhiteHouse.gov are from The First Ladies of the United States of America, by Allida Black. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (/ a z n h a. "Mamie Doud Eisenhower [39] She often stayed in her bedroom after her husband's death while Secret Service agents supported her. As her husband was dying, legislation was passed for Eisenhower that guaranteed lifetime Secret Service protection for presidential widows. "She insists on talking to everyone -- it's a strain oh her," he grumbled once after she had just completed meeting 300 women. Eleanor Roosevelt in The Autobiography o, An internationally famous first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis raised her two children alone after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (, Wife [1] Eisenhower was lauded for her social prowess, greeting and shaking hands with thousands of people during her tenure as first lady. In her official capacity as the Frist Lady, she displayed a vibrance and vitality that, together with her slim good looks, made her seem much younger and much stronger than she actually was. [10] She would sometimes subvert the wishes of her husband's campaign managers, making speaking appearances without their knowledge and suggesting changes to his campaign speeches. Despite the gradual onset of infirmities, Mrs. Eisenhower led an active life into ther 80s. [14], Eisenhower lived the life of an army wife over the following years, continually moving as her husband was stationed at different posts. Mamie Eisenhower died on November 1, 1979. John Connolly of Texas and George Bush, announced candidates for the Republican presidential nomination next year, also issued statements. 20 January, 1953 - 20 January, 1961. Both themes remained timely and urgent when he died, after a long illness, on March 28, 1969. [2] She was known for her frugality, and she would even clip coupons for the White House staff. were at last allowed something like a peaceful retirement, although Eisenhower kept busy in the role of elder statesman until his death in 1969. It was the same motto, with a prayer beneath, that she had nailed up 28 times during 53 years of married life that took her from the two room apartment of a young Army lieutenant's bride to residency in the Executive Mansion. New York: Children's Press, 2000. Their second son and only child to survive adulthood, John, was born in 1922. She has not remarried. She was always helpful and ready to do anything. [42] She was buried beside her husband in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas. Her good looks and high spirits and a natural talent for ragtime piano playing ensured her popularity. Mamie Eisenhower died on November 1, 1979. To the public she symbolized the glamor, style, and growth associated with the United States in the 1950s. Married at the age of 19, Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower was the wife of the 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a very popular First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961. The couple married at the Doud home in Denver, on July 1, 1916, when Mamie was just 19 years old. Ike and Mamie: The Story of the General and His Lady. //]]>, Born: November 14, 1896Boone, IowaDied: November 1, 1979Washington, D.C. American first lady. She was always helpful and ready to do anything. She saw that as one of her functions and performed it, no matter how tired she was.". (President Eisenhower died. In 1961 President Eisenhower completed his second term, and at last he and his wife could retire to Gettysburg. By this time she was used to overseeing a staff, and it was her job to see that the executive mansion was run efficiently. Connolly called Mrs. Eisenhower a "woman who lent unparalleled warmth and dignity to the White House." Still, her father made sure that she learned practical lessons such as how to manage money, run a household, and shop for bargains. There they lived a quiet life, reading, playing cards and watching television. [41] A memorial service was held in the Fort Myer chapel on November 5 with attendants including the Nixons, Rosalynn Carter, Senator Jacob Javits, Federal Reserve Chair Arthur F. Burns, and Eisenhower's Secret Service agents. She is to be buried Saturday next to her husband in a chapel on the library grounds. Birthday: November 14, 1896. Around Gettysburg, she was known as a charming, spirited guest at bridge luncheons until 1973, when her health began to fail noticeably. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Encyclopedia.com. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, rose through the ranks, and then served in the Second World War. In 1977, the made Gen. Eisenhower's wartime letters to his wife available. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Nine months later, on July 1, 1916, the two were married over her father's protests: He thought she was marrying beneath her. She owned many cosmetics and perfumes, and she often visited a beauty spa to maintain her personal appearance. she said. ." She supported the candidacy of Dick Thornburgh for governor of Pennsylvania, and she supported George H. W. Bush in the 1980 Republican Party presidential primaries. She suffered a stroke on September 25, 1979, and resided in the hospital until her death on November 1. In most times, Sources She expressed a desire to see women elected to Congress, and she sponsored several women's clubs. Over the next several decades she loyally followed her husband from assignment to assignment when she could and raised their family herself when she could not. Mamie Eisenhower, painted in 1953 by Thomas E. Stephens. [2][9] She came down with a severe case of rheumatic fever as a child, bringing about a lifelong concern for health. You have JavaScript disabled. She was rushed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where her husband had died a decade before. Mary Geneva "Mamie" Doud was born in Boone, Iowa, as the second child to meatpacking executive John Sheldon Doud (18701951) and his wife Elivera Mathilda Carlson (18781960). Your vein presses on your inner ear. He quoted Ike's last words to his wife, "I've always loved my wife. [7], Eisenhower became first lady as the position first began to present a national public image. In the same year, she attended ceremonies at Gettysburg College commemorating the bithday of her husband, who died on March 28, 1969. He took the scan to Mexico's National Forensic Institute where researchers found 20 anomalies in the figure's body that they said made it different from a human's, including the extra-large head,. Mamie was a happy, friendly, and charming girl. Each move meant another step in her husband's career and more responsibilities for her. When her husband decided to enter the presidential campaign in 1952, Mamiea self-professed homebodyfound that she would have to shed I remember her easy warmth and the vivaciousness that she brought into the room on the many occasions that I knew her. Times were especially bleak for her in World War II, for while General Eisenhower was winning fame as the hero of European liberation from the Nazis, she was a lonely war widow in a Washington hotel suite. Encyclopedia of World Biography. She was used to life with the close and well-respected Doud family; being Mrs. Eisenhower meant less money and a smaller circle of friends. "There would be nothing he would ask during the campaign that I would not do," she recalled. Until the end, Mrs. Eisenhower looked much the same as she did when she first came to public notice almost 40 years ago as the wife of the man who became the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II: bangs, a carefully matched coat and hat, and the cheerful smile that was her trademark. Young Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower had become fond of the people in the area while he was assigned to Camp Colt there in 1918. She grew up in Boone and in Denver, Colo., where the family moved in 1905. During the 1968 campaign she was an ardent supporter of Richard M. Nixon, who had been vice president under Eisenhower. Eisenhower remained in the hospital, and on October 31, announced to her granddaughter Mary Jean that she would die the next day. "[35][36], In 1961, Eisenhower retired with the former president to Gettysburg, their first permanent home. Behind her warm hostess's smile and folksy manner was an iron will. [1] She made her own contributions to the war effort, volunteering anonymously for the American Women's Voluntary Services and the United Service Organizations, among other groups. But it wasn't until she was 18 and met a new West Point second lieutenant named Dwight David Eisenhower that she became involved in a serious romance. [17], The Eisenhowers had two sons. Mamie Geneva Doud was born in Boone, Iowa, on November 14, 1896, to John Sheldon Doud and Elvira Mathilde (Carlson) Doud, the second daughter of four. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. She became a prominent figure during World WarII as the wife of General Eisenhower. There, her life was one of privilege with servants and large homes in Denver and San Antonio, Texas. [16], Eisenhower no longer had the comforts that she had grown accustomed to in childhood. Mamie Eisenhower was born on 14 November 1896 in Boone, Iowa, USA. [25] Ike's military success and his subsequent memoirs provided the couple with financial stability after the war. In 1978 John Eisenhower responded to news articles and such books as Miss Summersby's Past Forgetting, subtitled My Love Affair With Dwight D. Eisenhower. He produced a book based on a collection of 319 letters written from 1942 to 1945 by his father to his mother, called Letters to Mamie. Its purpose was to knock down allegations of unfaithfulness and to prove that Mamie was the only woman that Dwight Eisenhower loved. In 1973 former President Truman was quoted posthumously as saying he knew that at one point General Eisenhower wanted to divorce his wife and marry Miss Summersby, who died early in 1975. I've always loved my grandchildren and I've always loved my country.". For Mamie, life as a military wife was initially harsh: the Douds were a close and socially prominent family, and life with Ike was relatively lean and lonely. 1 When Eisenhower left office in 1961, he and Mrs. Eisenhower [25] She was protective of her husband during his periods of illness, at one point informing Pat Nixon without his knowledge that he was not healthy enough to campaign for Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election. During her years as First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower enjoyed a popularity with the American public that rivaled the esteem accorded her husband. Although Mrs. Eisenhower publicly ignored the matter of Mrs. Summersby, she did speak out in connection with reports that persisted for years that she drank too much. March 28, 1969: Died at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. [30] Her attempts to decorate the White House were complicated by a lack of federal funding, and much of her changes depended on private donations. "Nothing came before his duty. Mamie was devastated, and she had little to distract herself from the tragedy. She did not comment on those rumors until 1973, when she told a television interviewer that she had known for years that people had said that I'm a dipsomaniac. She said some people might have gotten the impression that she drank excessively because for years she had sometimes walked unsteadily and bumped into things. In 1936, Ike, as her husband was known, was assigned to duty as an assistant to Gen. Douglas MacArthur and set up a household in relative splendor in Manila. She disliked Senator Joseph McCarthy and made sure he was never invited to any White House social functions. The stories gained currency with the publication in 1974 of "Plain Speaking," a book about President Harry S. Truman by Merle Miller. 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