John Eisenhower

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John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower
August 3, 1922
Allegiance	United States of America
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	U.S. Fifteenth Army
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War
Other work	Army General Staff U.S. Ambassador to Belgium author

John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (born August 3, 1922) is the son of United States president and World War II-era general Dwight D. Eisenhower. He served in the White House during his father's presidency and as United States ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971. He is an author of several books on military history and as of 2006, the oldest living presidential child. However, Margaret Truman Daniel, the daughter of his father's predecessor, Harry S Truman, is the earliest surviving child of a U.S. president.

Eisenhower attended the United States Military Academy, serving in the Army during World War II and the Korean War; he attained the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve. A decorated soldier, Eisenhower found his World War II military career thwarted at every turn by fears for his safety and concern from the top brass that his capture would be an unwanted distraction to Ike, the Supreme Allied Commander.

During his father's presidency, Eisenhower served as Assistant Staff Secretary in the White House, on the Army's General Staff, and in the White House as assistant to Gen. Andrew Goodpaster. In the administration of President Richard Nixon, who had been his father's Vice President, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. On May 17, 1972, President Nixon appointed Eisenhower Chairman of the Interagency Classification Review Committee.

Eisenhower's greatest achievements came as a military historian, his numerous books popular with readers and reviewers alike. His most famous history, The Bitter Woods, is considered to be the definitive study on the Battle of the Bulge. Yanks: The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I was published in 2001 when Eisenhower was nearly 79 years of age.

Eisenhower lives in Kimberton, Pennsylvania. He married Barbara Jean Thompson on June 10, 1947, but they divorced in 1986. The Eisenhowers had four children including Dwight David who married Julie Nixon, herself a presidential daughter.

In a September 28, 2004, column published in the Manchester Union Leader, Eisenhower, a life-long Republican, endorsed Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry for president.[1]

[edit] External links

• John Eisenhower - Internet Accuracy Project