Ida Stover Eisenhower

Ida Elizabeth Stover Eisenhower (May 1, 1862 – September 11, 1946) was the mother of U.S. President Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969), university president Milton Stover Eisenhower (1899–1985), Edgar N. Eisenhower (1889–1971), and Earl D. Eisenhower (1898–1968).

Early life

She was born in Mount Sidney, Virginia, the only daughter of Elizabeth Ida Judah Link (1822–1867) and Simon P. Stover (1822–1873). She was christened "Elizabeth Ida" in the Salem Lutheran Church, Mount Sidney, Virginia (currently the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church), whose baptismal records show an original name of "Elizabeth Juda".

(1870 census shows she is living with her father, stepmother(?) and brothers. In 1880 she is listed as a niece in a Houff household.)

She was five years old when her mother died, after which she lived with her maternal grandparents, William Link and Esther Black Link,[1] until William's death in 1879; her maternal uncle and aunt, William J. Link and Susan Cook Link, then raised her at their farm. They did not believe girls should be educated, and instead pushed her to memorize the Bible. When told she couldn't enroll in high school, she ran away. At age twenty-one, she joined two of her brothers who had moved to Kansas.

Stover graduated from high school at age 19 and taught for two years before entering Lane University. On September 23, 1885 in Lecompton, Kansas on the campus of their alma mater, Lane University, she met her future husband, David Jacob Eisenhower,[2][3](1863–1942), who was of German and Swiss ancestry. He was a college-educated engineer but had trouble making a living and the family was always poor.[4]

Adulthood

In the 1890s, Eisenhower left the River Brethren Christian group, and joined the International Bible Students, which would evolve into what is now known as Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower home served as the local meeting hall for the Bible Students from 1896 to 1915 but her sons, although raised there, never joined the movement.[5]

Eisenhower was a lifelong pacifist,[6] so Dwight's decision to attend West Point saddened her. She felt that warfare was "rather wicked," but she did not overrule him.[7]

In 1945, Eisenhower was named Kansas Mother of the Year.[8]

Dwight Eisenhower said of her:

"Many such persons of her faith, selflessness, and boundless consideration of others have been called saintly. She was that—but above all she was a worker, an administrator, a teacher and guide, a truly wonderful woman."[9]

References

  1. ↑ Or "Esther Charlotte Schindler Link", per "Eisenhower / Stover Family Genealogy". Eisenhower Archives. Eisenhower Presidential Library. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ "I Chose My Way". Time. Time, Inc. September 23, 1946. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  3. ↑ Clifford, Geraldine J. (2014). Those good Gertrudes : a social history of women teachers in America. JHU Press,. p. 66. ISBN 1421414333. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Stephen E. Ambrose, Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952 (1983) pp 13–14
  5. ↑ Jerry Bergman, "Steeped in Religion: President Eisenhower and the Influence of the Jehovah's Witnesses," Kansas History, (Aut. 1998)
  6. ↑ "Eisenhower: A Factual Sketch". time.com. Time. 1952-04-07. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  7. ↑ Carlo D'Este, Eisenhower: a soldier's life (2002) p. 58
  8. ↑ "Women's Studies : A Guide to the Historical Holdings in the Eisenhower Library" (PDF). www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Eisenhower Library. April 1994. p. 11. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  9. ↑ Eisenhower, Dwight D. At Ease. Doubleday, 1967, p. 306.
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