A brief
highlights chronology of the life of Dwight David Eisenhower:
- born in Denison, Texas on October 14, 1890
- grew up in Abilene, Kansas
- received an appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point (graduated in 1915, ranked 54th in a class of 164)
- had an illustrious military career in which he rose to serve as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II (including D-Day in France on June 6, 1944)
- rose further to become General of the Army / Five-Star General
- served as the Columbia University (New York City) president
- appointed as Supreme Allied Commander, North American Treaty Organization (NATO)
- retired from active service in 1952
- elected 34th US President, served two consecutive four-year terms - January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961
- returned to active military service as General of the Army by President John F. Kennedy in 1961
- had his office at Gettysburg College
- made a home in Cumberland Township (near Gettysburg), Pennsylvania after his presidency
- died of heart failure at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC on March 28, 1969 (he was 78).
Dwight David Eisenhower
(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)Eisenhower was/is one of the US' most beloved and respected figures and is generally ranked among the top US presidents. So, it was of little surprise that following his death, a move was made to honor him on a US coin - the 1971-78
Eisenhower dollar was the result. With the 100th anniversary of his birth on the horizon, thoughts again turned to honoring the man's legacy with a US coin. This time, it was proposed that a commemorative Silver Dollar be struck in his honor.
I present details about the Eisenhower Silver Dollar and its journey through Congress in
Part II - Coin History