Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower Biography

Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower

Born in Boone, Iowa, Mamie Doud moved to Denver with her family when she was seven. In 1916, she married Dwight D. Eisenhower, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. The couple moved often, living in the Panama Canal Zone, the Philippines, and France. They had two sons, Doud Dwight, who died of scarlet fever when he was three, and John. While Eisenhower commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II, Mamie lived in Washington, DC. After a brief stint as president of Columbia University, the couple moved again, in 1953 when Eisenhower became the 34th president. Mamie was a gracious and popular first lady. She made a final move in 1961 when the Eisenhowers retired to their farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She died on November 1, 1979, and is buried at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.