Dwight D. Eisenhower
Thirty-Fourth President of the United States (1953-1961)
*Five-Star General of the Army - World War II
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe
First Supreme Commander of NATO
*Five-Star General of the Army - World War II
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe
First Supreme Commander of NATO
*Note:
Five-Star General of the Army (war time rank) is very rare and the U.S. has only had 5 generals awarded the rank: Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Omar N. Bradley, Henry H. Arnold.
Five-Star Fleet Admirals of the United States Navy: William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz, William F. Halsey, Jr.
George Washington holds the highest rank in U.S. military history, "Five-Star General of the Armies of the United States," (note the plural use of "armies") which was awarded posthumously.
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He had previously been a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe; he had responsibility for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO.Eisenhower was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry and was reared in a large family in Kansas by parents with a robust work ethic and religious background. As one of six sons, he was conditioned by a competitive atmosphere which instilled self-reliance. He attended and graduated from West Point and later married and had two sons. After World War II, Eisenhower served as Army Chief of Staff under President Harry S. Truman, then assumed the post of President at Columbia University » Full Bio
» See All 'Quotable Quotes'
This Day In History 55 Years Ago
May 1, 1958
President Eisenhower Proclaims Law Day
On this day in 1958, President Eisenhower proclaims Law Day to honor the role of law in the creation of the United States of America. Three years later, Congress followed suit by passing a joint resolution establishing May 1 as Law Day.President Eisenhower Proclaims Law Day
The idea of a Law Day had first been proposed by the American Bar Association in 1957. The desire to suppress the celebration of May 1, or May Day, as International Workers' Day aided in Law Day's creation. May Day had communist overtones in the minds of many Americans, because of its celebration of working people as a governing class in the Soviet Union and elsewhere. » Full Article
Significant Events This Day In History
» History