Earl Dewey Eisenhower (February 1, 1898 – December 18, 1968) was an American electrical engineer and legislator, as well as the younger brother of U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Early life and education

Born in Abilene, Kansas, his brothers President

, attorney

Edgar N. Eisenhower Edgar Newton Eisenhower (January 19, 1889 – July 12, 1971) was an American lawyer and businessman, the older brother of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Early life and education Eisenhower was born in Hope, Kansas, the second oldest of sev ...

, and university president

Milton Eisenhower Milton Stover Eisenhower (September 15, 1899 – May 2, 1985) was an American academic administrator. He served as president of three major American universities: Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Johns Hopkins Univers ...

. Eisenhower moved to the state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, where he stayed with his brother Edgar who helped with college expenses. Earl Eisenhower graduated from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

in 1923 with a degree in electrical engineering. After working on a passenger ship, he worked in Pennsylvania with West Penn Power Company and in Illinois with Suburban Life Newspapers.

Career

The 1960 reapportionment process was stalled in the Illinois General Assembly by partisan gridlock. Subsequently, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered an at large election for all 177 members of the Illinois House in 1964. Voters were given ballots three feet long. The Republicans found Earl Eisenhower, a

La Grange Park La Grange Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 13,475. Geography La Grange Park is located at (41.829831, -87.869233). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, La Grange Park ha ...

resident, to head their ticket of 118 candidates. Though the election was won overwhelmingly by the Democratic Party, Eisenhower himself was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. Eisenhower was assigned to the Committees on Agriculture; Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulation; and Public Utilities, Railroads and Aviation. He also served on the American Heritage Commission. After a 1965 Illinois Supreme Court order resolved the redistricting issue, Eisenhower's home at 404 Homestead Road was drawn into the 7th district. In 1965, out of frustration of being in the minority party and a general desire to retire, Eisenhower announced he would not run for a second term in the Illinois House of Representatives. However, he developed an interest in running for Cook County Treasurer or

Cook County Clerk The Cook County Clerk is the clerk of county government in Cook County, Illinois. History The office of Cook County Clerk was established as an elected office with a four-year term in August 1837. Prior to this, from 1831 to 1837, the Clerk was ...

and asked the Cook County Republican Party to slate him for one of the positions. He then ran for County Clerk of

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2 ...

and lost in the 1966 election. The multi-member 7th district elected Republican candidates Joseph G. Sevcik of Berwyn and Henry Klosak of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, and Democratic candidate Gerald W. Shea of Riverside.

Personal life

He died December 18, 1968, in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

References

External links

Papers of Earl D. Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eisenhower, Earl D. 1898 births 1968 deaths People from La Grange Park, Illinois People from Abilene, Kansas Politicians from Scottsdale, Arizona University of Washington College of Engineering alumni Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Eisenhower family American electrical engineers