Mamie Geneva Doud was born on Nov. 14, 1896 in Boone, Iowa. She grew up in Denver where her father semi-retired a millionaire at the age of 36.  She met Lt. Dwight Eisenhower in San Antonio where her family spent their winters. On marrying her young lieutenant in 1916, she was forced to abandon her pampered existence and adapt to the frugality and transience of army life.  She was a soldier’s wife for over thirty years.

When her husband declared his presidential candidacy in 1952, Mamie was by his side throughout the campaign. She delighted crowds with her effervescence and charm.  Campaign songs were written for her, and buttons and placards proclaimed, “I LIKE IKE, BUT I LOVE MAMIE.”  James Reston of the New York Times estimated that she alone was worth at least 50 electoral votes.

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