Dwight D. Eisenhower
n.p., ca. 1952-1953
Double Signed Photograph of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Signed photograph

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, Twice Signed Photograph, to Howard C. Petersen, ca. 1952-1953. 8" x 10". Minor warping in lower portion of photograph; adhesive residue at upper corners of verso; very good.

Dwight D. Eisenhower signed this three-quarter-length portrait, taken ca. 1952, for the National Finance Chairman of Citizens for Eisenhower after his successful campaign for the presidency in 1952. The recipient was Howard C. Petersen, a Philadelphia banker.

Complete Transcript
For Howard C. Petersen
"National Finance Chairman
Citizens for Eisenhower" with
appreciation and warm regards from his old friend
Dwight D Eisenhower

Historical Background
Although both Democrats and Republicans urged Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Chief of Staff of the United States Army and victorious World War II general to run for president of the United States in 1948, he refused. The Draft Eisenhower movement reemerged in both parties in 1951. New Jersey businessmen Charles F. Willis and Stanley M. Rumbough Jr. helped found the "Citizens for Eisenhower" committee as part of a broader Republican movement to establish Eisenhower clubs nationwide. The movement quickly grew to 800 clubs with 38 state leaders. By late 1952, there were approximately 29,000 clubs nationwide. By early 1952, Eisenhower agreed to allow his name to be put on the New Hampshire Republican primary ballot. Eisenhower won the primary by a margin of 12 percent over previous Republican front-runner Robert A. Taft. In July, the Republican National Convention nominated Eisenhower on the first ballot. He went on to win a landslide victory over Democrat Adlai Stevenson II, attracting 55.2 percent of the popular vote and winning 39 states with 442 electoral votes to Stevenson's nine states with 89 electoral votes.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) was born in Texas but grew up in Kansas. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1915. He served in the United States Army during World War I and was promoted to Major soon after the war. At the beginning of World War II, he joined the General Staff in Washington and quickly came to the attention of Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall. In November 1942, Eisenhower became Supreme Commander of Allied forces in North Africa, and in December 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe, and Eisenhower had primary responsibility for planning the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944. In November 1945, he returned from Europe to replace Marshall as Chief of Staff of the Army. Three years later, he became President of Columbia University, where he served until 1953. In 1952 and again in 1956, he won landslide elections as a Republican candidate for President of the United States. He served as President from 1953 to 1961. He was the only general to serve as President in the twentieth century.

Howard C. Petersen (1910-1995) was born in Indiana, graduated from DePauw University in 1930, and received a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1933. From 1933 to 1941, he worked in a New York law firm. During World War II, he worked in the War Department, helping to write the Selective Service Act and drafting other rules and regulations. After World War II, he served as an Assistant Secretary of War and acquired expertise in international economics. Under President Truman, he focused on the economies of occupied Germany and other war-ravaged nations. He joined Fidelity Bank of Philadelphia in 1947, serving as its chief executive from 1966 to 1975. He served as Chairman of the Finance Committee for Citizens for Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential campaign, during which he organized fund-raising, selected state finance chairmen, coordinated fundraising of the various committees, and brought in Price-Waterhouse to perform the accounting. He also participated in fundraising for Eisenhower's 1956 campaign, but not in any official capacity. Although Petersen was a Republican, President John F. Kennedy named him as a special assistant on international trade in 1961.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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8" x 10"