Women Unite for Ike!

The elections of 1952 and 1956 showcased the impact and importance of the women’s vote. In an unprecedented turnout of the 1952 election, nearly 17.6 million women voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower out of the nearly 34 million votes cast in his favor. Never before had a political campaign gone so far to court the women’s vote as did the Eisenhower campaign. In response to the overwhelming support he had received from women, he nominated more women to fill positions in his administration than any of his predecessors.

During his two terms, President Eisenhower appointed more women to positions across the administration than any previous president.

Oveta Culp Hobby led the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in WWII, overseeing its transition into the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The WAC gained full military status and trained thousands of women to fill non-combat roles.

Hobby later worked on Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential campaign. She became the first secretary of the newly created Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and only the second woman in U.S. history to hold a cabinet post. 

Clare Boothe Luce campaigned for Eisenhower in the 1952 election, giving more than 100 speeches throughout the country. Ike appointed her U.S. Ambassador to Italy, the first woman to be posted to a major ambassadorial position abroad. She helped negotiate a solution to a border dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia. 

Bertha Adkins, noted for her organizational abilities, was appointed Executive Director of the Women’s Division of the Republican National Convention in 1952.  She encouraged women to become active in politics and arranged for women to meet Ike during “Breakfast with the President” events. In 1958 Eisenhower appointed Adkins Under Secretary of Health Education and Welfare. 

Mary Pillsbury Lord began her career working with charity and welfare organizations. As co-chairman of Citizens for Eisenhower, she played a major role in encouraging women to vote for Ike in 1952. After Ike's election, Lord became the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Commission when Eleanor Roosevelt retired.

Eleanor Lansing Dulles, described as fierce and determined, earned a doctorate in Economics from Harvard in 1926. During the 1950s, she worked in the State Department, an agency she described as hostile to women. Despite this discrimination, her efforts helped revitalize Berlin’s economy. Dulles’ 13 books on economics and foreign policy remain a lasting legacy.

Ann Cook Whitman was Eisenhower’s personal secretary from 1952 until 1961. She worked 12 hour days, except on weekends when she “only” worked 10 hours per day. The files maintained by Whitman are considered an “extraordinary resource.” One of 30 archival collections covering the "presidential years," it contains over 276,000 pages. In June 1953, Ike acknowledged Ann’s indispensable role in a birthday note to her, stating, “You are the most important person in the life of this office.” 

Mary Jane McCaffree held several White House positions, occasionally at the same time. She became Ike’s Social Secretary and then served as both Press and Personal Secretary to Mamie Eisenhower. Later she held the title of Protocol Specialist in the Office of Chief of Protocol. McCaffree turned her extensive knowledge into "Protocol: The Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official, and Social Usage" in 1977. 

Katherine G. Howard was one of the highest ranking female appointees in Eisenhower’s administration. She served as the Deputy Administrator for the Federal Civil Defense Administration from 1953 until 1957. Howard graduated from Smith College the same year the 19th amendment became law and suffrage became a driving force in her public service. 

Ida lived to see her third son return from World War II as General of the Army and hailed as a hero. Although she did not live to see him become president, Ida's influence continued to be felt, as Ike, and his five brothers, all hailed "Mother" as the guiding influence and moral compass of their lives. Orphaned at a young age, Ida Stover lived with relatives who stressed hard work and a basic education. At age 15, she moved to Staunton, Virginia, to find work and attend high school. When she turned 21, she moved to LeCompton, Kansas, to attend Lane University, where she met and married David Eisenhower.

Ida was 50 when women in Kansas gained the right to vote in all elections. Ida, who claimed to have worn sweaters “before it was a woman’s right,” believed in women’s rights. As a powerful and influential mother she passed on the importance of education and hard work to her sons. 

Mamie Doud Eisenhower turned 24 in 1920, coming of age when women were claiming the right to make their own choices. This suited Mamie, who considered herself an equal partner to Dwight in their married life. However, states did not allow absentee voting so she (and Dwight) were unable to vote during his early military career.

Mamie Eisenhower is best remembered as a loving partner to her husband: wife of a General and a President. She often said that Ike was her career. She made it look easy, whether trying to make ends meet on a lieutenant’s salary, being in the spotlight as the wife of the Supreme Allied Commander, or acting as a role model for the nation while First Lady.