Eisenhower, Dwight D. 1890-1969

SUPREME ALLIED MILITARY COMMANDER (1943-1945)

Second Act.

Dwight D. Eisenhower's military career in World War II belies F. Scott Fitzgerald's observation that there are no second acts in American life. By 1938 Eisenhower's career was by any objective standard over, and his ambitions were thwarted. By 1950 he was the most recognizable figure in the United States and a shoo-in to the presidency in 1952. Between those two dates he served as supreme Allied military commander in World War II and president of Columbia University. As it did for so many Americans, World War II gave him a second chance, and he used his talent for organization and administration to lead the United States to victory and himself to the pinnacle of power and success.

Early Career.

Eisenhower, or "Ike," as he was often called, grew up in modest means in the farming community of Abilene, Kansas. An athlete and a good student with a...

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