David Eisenhower

Dwight David Eisenhower II, born on March 31, 1948, in West Point, New York, is an American author, public policy fellow, and television host. He is notably the grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. Eisenhower is also the son-in-law of President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon.

He is commonly known as David Eisenhower. His parents are Barbara (Thompson) and John Eisenhower, and he is their only son and the eldest of their four children. His father, John Eisenhower, was an officer in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general in the Army Reserve, and served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1969 to 1971. John Eisenhower was also a military historian. Dwight D. Eisenhower, his grandfather, served as Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War II, was president of Columbia University from 1948 to 1953, and served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. After becoming president in 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the presidential retreat Camp Shangri-La as Camp David, partly in honor of his grandson and his father.

Eisenhower completed his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating in 1966. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, graduating cum laude from Amherst College in 1970, where he participated in the collegiate a cappella group the Zumbyes. Following college, he served for three years as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve, during which he was assigned to the USS Albany in the Mediterranean Sea. He subsequently acquired a Juris Doctor degree, graduating cum laude from The George Washington University Law School in 1976.

In 1970, Eisenhower worked as a statistician with the Washington Senators baseball team during the 1970 season. He also contributed as a Sunday columnist covering the Philadelphia Phillies for The Bulletin from May to August of 1973. His work about Allied leadership during World War II, titled Eisenhower At War, 1943-1945, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history in 1987.

Eisenhower has engaged in academic and public policy roles, serving as a teaching adjunct and public policy fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He also co-chaired the Foreign Policy Research Institute's History Institute for Teachers and was the editor of Orbis, a quarterly journal published by the institute, from 2001 to 2003. Additionally, he hosted the public television series The Whole Truth with David Eisenhower, distributed by American Public Television.

On December 22, 1968, Eisenhower married Julie Nixon, the daughter of then-Vice President and soon-to-be President Richard Nixon. They had known each other since they met at the 1956 Republican National Convention. Eisenhower previously served as Julie Nixon's civilian escort at the International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Their wedding was officiated by Reverend Norman Vincent Peale at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. The couple resides in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.

They have three children: Jennie Elizabeth Eisenhower, born August 15, 1978; Alexander Richard Eisenhower, born in 1980; and Melanie Catherine Eisenhower, born in 1984. Jennie Eisenhower is an actress.

In 1970, Eisenhower attended the funeral of Dan Mitrione, an operative involved in training Uruguayan police in interrogation and torture techniques, which later generated controversy; there has been no indication that Eisenhower was aware of Mitrione's activities.

Eisenhower’s family connections have also influenced popular culture. He was one inspiration for the 1969 song "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, which addressed themes of privilege and deferment in the Vietnam War era. John Fogerty, the song's writer, noted it was not inspired by any single event but rather by the perception of social privilege during that period.

References and further readings include Eisenhower's 1986 book titled *Eisenhower at War 1943-1945*. External links include his appearances on C-SPAN and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.