An Overview of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Administration

SKC Films Library >> Dwight D. Eisenhower's Administration

Throughout his presidency, Eisenhower faced many difficult decisions. Communist aggression in Asia, Africa, and Latin America caused one crisis after another, and Russian achievements in exploring space cast grave doubts on American scientific leadership. At home, fear of communist influence in government led to widespread loyalty investigations. and new civil rights laws aroused bitter disputes.

White House portrait by J. Anthony Wills

Election of 1952		Election of 1958
Place of Nominating Convention Chicago Ballot on Which Nominated 1st Democratic Opponent Adlai E. Stevenson Electoral Vote 442 to 89 Popular Vote 33,778,963 to 27,314,992 Age at Inauguration 62		Place of Nominating Convention San Francisco Ballot on Which Nominated 1st Democratic Opponent Adlai E. Stevenson Electoral Vote 457 to 73 Popular Vote 35,581,003 to 25,738,765 Age at Inauguration 66

His Vice-President and Cabinet
Vice-President	Richard M. Nixon
Secretary of State	John Foster Dulles Christian A. Herter (1959)
Secretary of the Treasury	George M. Humphrey Robert B. Anderson (1957)
Secretary of Defense	Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy (1957) Thomas S. Gates, Jr. (1959)
Attorney General	Herbert Brownell, Jr. William P. Rogers (1957)
Postmaster General	Arthur E. Summerfield
Secretary of the Interior	Douglas McKay Frederick A. Seaton (1956)
Secretary of Agriculture	Ezra Taft Benson
Secretary of Commerce	Sinclair Weeks Lewis L. Strauss (1958) Frederick H. Mueller (1959)
Secretary of Labor	Martin P. Durkin James P. Mitchell (1953)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare	Oveta Culp Hobby Marion B. Folsom (1955) Arthur S. Flemming (1958)

United States Events During His Administration
States Admitted Alaska (1959), Hawaii (1959) Population in 1961 181,700,000
1953	The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was created.
1953	Eisenhower proposed his "Atoms for Peace" plan.
1953	Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed as Russian spies.
1953	Senator Joseph R. McCarthy headed a Congressional search for communists in the government.
1954	The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
1955	The American Federation of Labor (AFL) merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (ILO).
1955	A plant at Arco, Idaho, produced the first atomic-powered electricity for public use in America.
1957	Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce school integration.
1957	The Shippingport Nuclear Power Plant became the first full-scale, purely commercial nuclear plant in the United States.
1958	The first American space satellite, Explorer I, was launched.
1958	Unknowns from World War II and Korea were interred at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
1958	A change in the design of the Lincoln penny was approved.
1958-1959	U.S. airlines began jet passenger service.
1961	The United States ended diplomatic relations with Cuba.

World Events During His Administration
March 5, 1953	Premier Joseph Stalin of Russia died.
July 27, 1953	The Korean War ended.
1954	Eight nations organized the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
1955	Eisenhower held a "summit" conference at Geneva with leaders of France, Great Britain, and Russia.
1955	The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declared safe.
1957	Russia launched the world's first artificial satellite.
1959	Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba.
1959	The St. Lawrence Seaway was completed by the United States and Canada.
May 1, 1960	A U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.

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SKC Films Library >> Dwight D. Eisenhower's Administration

This page was last updated on December 10, 2018.