Eisenhower Administrations - Family Life
Family Life
In January 1916, when he was 25 years old and stationed in San Antonio, Texas, Eisenhower met Mamie Geneva Doud, the 18-year-old daughter of a prosperous Denver meat packer. After an eight-month courtship they married. It was a social step down for Mamie, and a big step up for Eisenhower. She had grown up with servants and found it difficult to adjust to the constant moves and shabby billets assigned to junior officers' families, especially on the tropical stations such as Panama and the Philippines. Nevertheless she played the role of a devoted army wife, entertained fellow officers and their families, and was a steady help in his success.
Their son David was born in 1917 and his death from scarlet fever just three years later left a permanent mark of sorrow on them both. They were consoled by the birth of their second child, John, in 1922. John grew up to follow his father to West Point and to active service...
[The entire page is 478 words long]
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