“Dwight D. Eisenhower” by James Anthony Wills depicts the American career-soldier who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 – 1969) graduated from West Point in 1915. During World War I, he was denied a request to serve in Europe and instead commanded a unit that trained tank crews.
After the United States entered World War II, Eisenhower oversaw the invasions of North Africa and Sicily. He became a five-star general in the Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe.
He was responsible for planning and supervising the successful invasion of Normandy in 1944–45 and the allies’ Western Front.
After the war, he served as Army Chief of Staff (1945–1948), as president of Columbia University (1948–1953), and as the first Supreme Commander of NATO (1951–1952).
In 1952, Eisenhower entered the presidential race as a Republican to block the isolationist foreign policies.
Eisenhower’s main goals in office were to contain the spread of communism. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Eisenhower authorized NASA’s establishment, which led to the Space Race.
He approved the Bay of Pigs invasion, which was left to John F. Kennedy. Eisenhower was a moderate conservative who continued New Deal agencies and expanded Social Security on the domestic front.
In his farewell address to the nation, he expressed his concerns about the dangers of government contracts to private military firms, which he dubbed “the military-industrial complex.”
Historical evaluations of his presidency place him among the upper tier of American presidents.
“Dwight D. Eisenhower” by James Anthony Wills
- Title: Theodore Roosevelt
- Artist: James Anthony Wills
- Year: 1967
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 48 x 38 inches.
- Location: White House
James Anthony Wills
James Anthony Wills (1912 – 1993) was an American painter who worked in oils but never had any formal art training.
He could draw before he could write, and he sold his first portrait of a neighborhood friend to the boy’s mother when he was 14.
He has painted cabinet members and several Presidential Portraits. He has painted Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard Nixon.
Dwight Eisenhower: I Like Ike (1953 – 1961)
Portraits of Presidents of the United States
Beginning with President George Washington, it has been traditional for the United States president to have an official portrait taken during their time in office, most commonly an oil painting.
This tradition has continued to modern times. Presidents will often display the official portraits of former presidents whom they admire in the Oval Office.
The National Portrait Gallery has been collecting and preserving presidential portraits since its creation in 1962.
Portraits of Presidents of the United States
- George Washington Lansdowne Portrait by Gilbert Stuart
- Theodore Roosevelt Official Presidential Portrait
- Dwight D. Eisenhower – White House Portrait
- John F Kennedy Official Portrait
James Anthony Wills
- Artist: James Anthony Wills
- Born: 1912, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: 1993
- Nationality: American
- Notable works:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower White House Portrait
- George C. Marshall
- Henry Kissinger
- Harry Truman
- Richard Nixon
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s D-Day Message
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower: The 34th President of the United States
President Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
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“Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends.”
– Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Photo Credit: James Anthony Wills / Public domain
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