I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff You Need to Know (16 page)

Truman claimed to have read every single book in the Independence (Missouri) Public Library by the time he was 14 years old.

Family Loyalty

Truman was a devoted family man. When a newspaper writer criticized his daughter Margaret, a singer, President Truman wrote this note to him: “Someday I hope to meet you. When that happens, you’ll need a new nose.”

Retirement

Truman decided not to run for president again, and retired to Independence, Missouri. He died at the age of 88.

34th President ~ 1953–1961

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Ike

“Only Americans can hurt America.”

Born

October 14, 1890 Denison, Texas

Political Party

Republican

Vice President

Richard M. Nixon

First Lady

Marie “Mamie”

Children

Doud Dwight and John

Pet

Heidi, a Weimaraner

Military Hero

Growing up with five brothers, “Ike” Eisenhower knew how to fight—and how to make peace.

One of America’s greatest military commanders, Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Allied troops that invaded France on D-Day in 1944, the military operation that marked the beginning of the end of World War II.

A Call to the Presidency

When Eisenhower came home, he was such a popular and beloved hero that President Truman privately suggested that they run together in 1948—but with Eisenhower as president and Truman as vice president.

Instead, Eisenhower became president of Columbia University and ran for the White House as a Republican in 1952. Campaign buttons read: “I like Ike!” And a lot of people did. He won in a landslide.

Keeping Peace

Eisenhower ended the war in Korea but continued to oppose the spread of Communism across the world. He tried to ease tensions with the Soviet Union, even meeting with the Soviet leader, but the Cold War only got worse.

FUN FACTS

Eisenhower supported the formation of the Interstate Highway System in 1956, which created 41,000 miles of highways in the country. Its official name is the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

Ike changed the name of the official presidential retreat in Maryland from Shangri-la to Camp David in honor of his grandson. It is still called Camp David.

He also worked for cooperation between people at home. When the Arkansas governor refused to let African-American schoolchildren enter an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas, and mobs threatened violence, Eisenhower sent federal troops to keep the peace—and escort the children into school.

At Home at the White House

Eisenhower loved fishing and playing cards, but his favorite activity was golf. He had a putting green installed behind the White House so he could practice.

His dog, Heidi, once made such a mess in the White House that she was sent home to Pennsylvania. After a while, however, the president missed her so much that he sent a limousine to bring her back.

Ike left office one of the best-liked presidents ever.

PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT

COUNTRY HOME FOR PRESIDENTS

Camp David, the president’s country home, is located in Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland, about 60 miles from the White House. It was once a family camp for people who worked in Washington, D.C. Covered with trees and high in the mountains, the spot provides a cool place in the summer where the president can escape from his busy job.

Plenty to Do

Camp David was first named Shangri-La by President Franklin Roosevelt, but President Eisenhower later named it David in honor of his father and grandson. The main lodge was made to look like President Roosevelt’s winter home in Georgia. Camp David has a one-hole golf course. It also has two swimming pools, a tennis court, a two-lane bowling alley, a skeet range, and a basketball court. There is even an Evergreen Chapel.

A Place for Visitors

Camp David has often been used as a place where leaders visiting the U.S. from other countries can stay and have meetings. Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin are a few of the leaders who came to Camp David. Every president since Franklin Roosevelt has used Camp David. President Truman’s favorite sport was walking, and he spent long hours wandering the mountain trails—with a secret service agent right behind him.

And Families

The presidents’ families could also stay at Camp David. President Kennedy and his family went horseback riding and played sports there. President Nixon had several new buildings built, complete with modern conveniences, and he held family get-togethers there. President Gerald Ford liked to ride his snowmobile around Camp David in the winter. President Ronald Reagan spent more time at Camp David than any other president. He liked horseback riding and working in the woodworking shop. President George H.W. Bush’s daughter, Dorothy, was the first to be married there in 1992.

In keeping with the geography of the forests on Catoctin Mountain Park, all of the guest cottages and most of the buildings are named after trees, including Aspen, the Presidential Lodge.

FUN FACT

President Nixon installed microphones at Camp David in 1972 so he could record conversations.

35th President ~ 1961–1963

JOHN F. KENNEDY

Jack

“Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.”

Born

May 29, 1917 Brookline, Massachusetts

Political Party

Democrat

Vice President

Lyndon B.Johnson

First Lady

Jacqueline “Jackie”

Children

Caroline, John Jr., and Patrick (died in infancy)

Pets

Charlie, a Welsh terrier; Tom, a kitten; Macaroni, Caroline’s pony; Zsa Zsa, a rabbit; Sardar, a horse

Camelot

President for only some 1,000 days before a gunman ended his young life, Jack Kennedy left one of the most lasting impressions of any president in history. Handsome, charming, and eloquent, he inspired a whole generation to take up the challenges of a “New Frontier.” The glamour and idealism of his presidency earned those years the nickname “Camelot,” after King Arthur’s mythical court.

Hero and Politician

Born into a rich family, Kennedy was captain of a small PT (patrol torpedo) boat in the Pacific during World War II. One night, while the boat drifted and the crew slept, a Japanese destroyer rammed the PT boat and the whole crew ended up in the water. Kennedy led his men on a three-mile swim through shark-infested waters to safety, towing a wounded crewman by holding the strap from his life vest in his teeth.

Kennedy came home a hero and went into politics. After serving in Congress, he became the youngest man ever to run for president, and he won. He asked the world, including our enemies, never to give up on peace. He told Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS

While recovering from back surgery, John F. Kennedy wrote
Profiles in Courage,
a collection of inspirational essays about patriotic Americans. The book won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1957. Kennedy was the first—and only—president to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Opportunities and Crises

Kennedy passed a law giving equal rights to minorities and created the Peace Corps, which sent Americans to work for free in poor foreign countries. He promised to put a man on the moon within nine years (it happened). In 1962, when he discovered that the Soviet Union had put nuclear missile bases in Cuba (not far from the U.S.), he ordered a blockade around the island. For 13 days the U.S. and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war—until the Soviet Union agreed to take away the missiles. Kennedy also started sending troops into a small country in Asia called Vietnam.

FUN FACT

Kennedy is one of two presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The other is Taft.

The Assassination

In an event that still shocks and saddens the world, President Kennedy was assassinated by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, in Dallas on November 22, 1963. He died at age 46, after being president for only 1,037 days.

FAMOUS FIRST LADIES

JACQUELINE KENNEDY

July 28, 1929–May 19, 1994