Eisenhower in the Dole Archives

"Wherever he went, Ike never forgot where he came from. So it was only natural that when he launched his campaign for the White House in the spring of 1952, he did so here, in the heart of America. Lost in the huge crowd that turned out for his homecoming was a young Second Lieutenant, scarred by war and struggling to find his place in postwar America. What I heard that day confirmed what I already suspected – that my commanding general was also my political hero."

The admiration Senator Dole has felt for President Eisenhower is strongly felt in the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections at the Dole Institute of Politics. Eisenhower lent support for some of Dole’s early campaigns, and throughout his career, Dole looked for ways to honor his political hero, culminating in serving as the Chairman of the Dwight David Eisenhower Centennial Commission from 1988-1990.