“I Like Ike!” Those three words were prominent in the American vernacular for the better part of two decades as Dwight Eisenhower emerged as the face of military triumph in World War II and then presided over eight tense but peaceful and productive years as President of the United States. Ike originally pursued a spot in the military in order to get a free education and turned it into one of the most successful careers in the history of West Point graduates. He became the Army’s most efficient staff officer, earning him his first star on the eve of American entry into World War II. Within a year, he was serving as the Supreme Commander for joint operations by the Americans and British against the Germans in North Africa before becoming Supreme Allied Commander for the D-Day invasion at Normandy and the follow-on fight to end the war in Europe. He was the master of coalition warfare, redefining how to get the most out of self-centered individuals, elevating the common goal of all above pursuits of individual glory. He then did his best to stay out of politics until the nation insisted he run for President in 1952. He earned two landslide victories over Democrat Adlai Stevenson in back-to-back elections, and his favorability ratings sat above 60% for nearly his entire tenure in office.

Ike, as he was known to everyone except his mother, was a pragmatist who moved cautiously when confronted with thorny issues. He decried extremists in both the military and in politics, including those from his own political party. He believed in evolution, not revolution, when it came to domestic policies. In foreign affairs, he refused to imperil the nation’s economy by overspending on defense even while he crafted a deterrence model based on nuclear arms that could blow the enemy away with a cataclysmic scenario that inhibited any adversary from directly challenging the might of the Americans. After bringing the Korean War to an end only a few months after taking office, and despite constant threats around the globe, the military lost only a single soldier overseas with Dwight Eisenhower at the helm of state. His presence was a calming influence on the United States and the world even while the Cold War grew in intensity. Dwight Eisenhower was personally quick to anger, could be cold and abrupt with subordinates, and struggled at times with intimacy in his personal relationships. But that was all mostly behind the scenes. In public, he was a source of confidence and American pride, a man who represented victory and security during perilous times. For these and many other reasons, the prevailing sentiment throughout his adult life was simply “I Like Ike!”