Eisenhower at Columbia: Travis Beal Jacobs

About this book

From the beginning of World War II until he left the White House in early 1961 Dwight David Eisenhower played a leadership role on the world stage. This was longer than any American since George Washington Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. His Columbia presidency was part of this period yet the story has not been told. Scholars have repeated earlier critical contemporary assessments and largely dismissed or ignored that part of his career. Jacobs seeks to answer many of the open-ended questions about Eisenhowers tenure as successor to Nicholas Murray Butler whom many consider the greatest university president of the century. Jacobs examines previously unused sources to analyze Eisenhowers leadership and accomplishments his goals and intentions and whether his presidency at Columbia generally considered a failure ever had a chance of succeeding.This insightful well-written volume covers the years that played such a vital role in Dwight D. Eisenhowers journey to the White House. Jacobs reviews Eisenhowers appointment as chief of staff after his return from Europe after V-E Day and concurrently looks at Columbias difficulties in its troubled search for a president. He examines the deliberations on both sides before Eisenhowers acceptance of Columbias presidency and the circumstances surrounding his arrival and installation. Jacobs covers Eisenhowers subsequent leave of absence and return to duty at the Pentagon as NATO commander and the impact of his extended absence from Columbia. He resigned on the eve of his inauguration as president of the United States. Jacobs recounts the hostility of campus liberal intellectuals who had increasingly resented Eisenhowers presidency and were offended by the New York Timess endorsement of Eisenhower over Adlai E. Stevenson for the 1952 presidential campaign. Jacobs views Eisenhowers years as university president as playing a significant role in preparing him for his White House years.A thorough assessment of Eisenhowers career on Morningside Heights is long overdue. Jacobs insights on Eisenhowers presidency at Columbia will be of interest to Eisenhowers biographers college and university administrators American studies students and the general public curious about Eisenhowers public service as a civilian before he became U. S. president.