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Mrs. Ike: Memories and Reflections on the Life of Mamie Eisenhower
Written by her granddaughter, a portrait of a beloved First Lady and an incisive account of a complex marriage examines the life of Mamie Eisenhower, a saucy young lady who found her match in handsome Ike Eisenhower, and their adventures, misunderstandings, and glowing triumphs.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1996
99 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Susan Eisenhower
17 books18 followersSUSAN EISENHOWER, one of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's four grandchildren, is a consultant, author, and a Washington, DC-based policy strategist with many decades of work on national security issues. She lectures widely on such topics, including strategic leadership.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 20, 2020
This is a bio of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, written by her granddaughter Susan Eisenhower. You can tell the granddaughter loved her grandmother immensely, so I would say there is a little bias here. If her grandmother has any flaws they are only touched on lightly, if at all. The book was the most interesting when the author talks about her personal stories about her grandparents, but there is lots of history written about before she was born. An interesting bio of both the president and his wife. Much has been written about his presidency and here mostly the high points are mentioned, which was nice. I was born during the Eisenhower years, so I do not have a personal remembrance of them, so it was nice to learn more about those years.
June 14, 2021
What an amazing portrait of a woman’s undying devotion to her husband, her family, and her country. I’m grateful for her humble service to all three, as an inspiration and legacy for other women to follow. Susan (her granddaughter) paints a beautiful picture of a way of life she perhaps deems “classic” (read: outdated), but I would contend that more marriages would succeed for the good of the world around them if all couples aspired to such loyalty and commitment. She understood what it meant to “love her neighbor as herself.” Rest In Peace, Mrs. Ike
October 3, 2020
What a refreshing book. To know that good people once ran the country. It gives me hope for the future. Well worth reading.
February 7, 2026
I wish I'd picked up this book before diving into "Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower" by Kay Summersby Morgan. That earlier read left me oddly sympathizing with the general's former driver, but this book, had I read it first, would have let me dismiss her claims with a knowing shrug and a smile at their sheer absurdity. I had both titles waiting on my hard drive, and I suspected Susan Eisenhower's account would counter Summersby Morgan's story—it did, with devastating clarity. Summersby Morgan never saw the manuscript; she signed the deal and died a month later. Even a close London friend insisted the final book bore no trace of her voice or phrasing.
Susan Eisenhower writes with crisp, unexpected grace. She delivers a four-star journey, though the narrative stretches longer than strictly necessary, yet it holds your attention throughout.
This warm, intimate biography traces the life of the author's grandmother—Mamie's story as the wife of the Allied Supreme Commander in Europe and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
The book unfolds chronologically, and its opening chapters on the Eisenhower and Doud family cultures piqued my curiosity just enough while I itched to reach Mamie's core tale.
Eisenhower views the family's world through her grandmother's eyes. I grew to respect Mamie despite her enviably cushioned start in life. Military demands soon shattered that ease, thrusting her into maturity amid constant upheaval. The family's first profound trial came with the death of Ikky, their eldest son. Soon after that heartbreak, Mamie welcomed the author's father, John, into the world.
I savored the accounts of their postings across distant outposts. The marriage's initial deep fracture struck well before Ike encountered Kay Summersby Morgan. Panama's harsh conditions left Mamie reeling, so she balked at their next overseas assignment. The ensuing separation tested their bond to its limits. Later, orbiting Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, Ike headed there too—and this time, wiser from experience, Mamie joined him.
Mamie thrived on parties and social whirlwinds, yet she mastered the art of dismantling and relocating a household at lightning speed. Her resourcefulness won me over; nowhere does the text show her chafing at Ike over another uprooting. She met each demand head-on, as the Army required. Even in death, her foresight endured—descendants discovered she'd tagged every belonging with its backstory and heir.
Readers encounter Ike's fervent love letters from Europe, declarations Susan Eisenhower tallies at 319 during the war. Many pulse with the ache of displacement: without Mamie, he claimed, no true home awaited him after the day's grind. From Algiers in 1942, he wrote,
“Sometimes I get to missing you so that I simply don't know what to do. As pressure mounts and strain increases, everyone begins to show the weaknesses in his makeup. It is up to the Commander to conceal his; above all to conceal doubt, fear and distrust, especially in any subordinate, and to try to overcome the defects he finds around him. When the strain is long continued the commander gets to feeling more and more alone and lonesome, and his mind instinctively turns to something or someone that could help. This, of course is not well explained--but I mean only to tell you that constantly I think of you as someone who could provide the counterbalance for me--and send me back to work fitter to do a good job. No one else in the world could ever fill your place with me--and that is the reason I need you. Maybe a simpler explanation is merely that I LOVE YOU!! which I do, always. Never forget that, because, except for my duty, which I try to perform creditably, it is the only thing to which I can cling with confidence.”
The author ponders her grandmother's calm dismissal of Summersby Morgan's allegations.
“It is interesting that Mamie did not confide any concerns about Kay Summersby to her friends or to her parents, to whom in times past she had confided her deepest feelings. This suggests that she was not terribly worried about the veracity of the rumors. Years later Mamie would refute any notion that Ike had had a romance with his wartime driver, saying simply, ‘I know Ike.’"
Susan Eisenhower shares her father's take:
“John, who has always thought that too much fuss has been made over this question, once observed to me that we have a tendency to assess relationships of earlier eras in the context of today's behavior. ‘Dad would have made a lousy philanderer because he was so damned Victorian and moral,’ he said. ‘Sure he was attracted to vital women, like Marian Huff in the Philippines and Kay during the war, but these were friendships, not torrid affairs.’”
A British driver who served beside Summersby Morgan on Ike's wartime team backed John's view. “According to Inez Scott, one of the first WACs to join Eisenhower's "family" as a driver, Eisenhower and Bradley were two of the few officers who had "nothing to do with women" while overseas. ‘I had the highest respect for Ike and Mamie,’ she said later.
‘[Throughout the war] he never forgot he was married.’”
Susan Eisenhower notes a telling postwar trip Summersby Morgan took to New York, chaperoned by her father.
“In the final analysis, it is doubtful that Mamie would or could have believed Kay was romantically involved with her husband. The very fact that Ike put Kay in his son's charge would surely suggest the opposite. It is inconceivable that Ike would have sent his "lover" to the United States in the care of his son. He was not the kind of person to put John in such an untenable position vis-à-vis his mother.”
The author reinforces Ike's fidelity with a recollection from a journalist friend of Summersby Morgan's.
“Just before her death, Summersby confided in writer Bob Considine's wife, who asked Kay forthrightly if she had ever slept with Eisenhower. She replied, ‘The answer is no. Never... If he had asked me, beckoned a finger to me, I would have done anything he asked me to. But he never asked me.’”
Even Summersby Morgan's pal Bob Considine trashed the book, as Susan Eisenhower recounts:
“One of Summersby's close friends, journalist Bob Considine, said the ghostwriter gave the book ‘a racy flavor that corresponded roughly to what by then had become an accepted belief that she and Ike were lovers.’ Like Considine, all of Summersby's friends agreed that ghostwriters had ‘invented’ the book, basing it on Eisenhower Was My Boss. Sue Sarafian Jehl complained that the book ‘didn't sound at all like Kay.’ Other people who knew her decried the book as ‘a complete myth.’
‘In fact, this last dreadful book was only written after her death. She never saw a word of it... The whole thing was made up. Absolutely...’ said Anthea Saxe, her closest friend. ‘The book is so unlike Kay, it was ridiculous.’”
Susan Eisenhower debunks tales of Ike fast-tracking Summersby Morgan's entry into the U.S. Women's Army Corps. She draws on a letter where Ike inquired about hastening her application; his colleague warned of red tape, so Ike shelved it. Summersby Morgan commissioned months later anyway—likely thanks to President Roosevelt's nudge, in the author's view.
Mamie brushed off a wild claim from President Truman in Merle Miller’s Plain Speaking, where he alleged Ike begged Army Chief of Staff George Marshall for stateside leave to divorce her. Truman said Marshall shredded the letters in fury. Mamie’s retort? “Mr. Truman knew better.”
In a Barbara Walters interview mere days before a stroke silenced her, Mamie declared, "Ike told me all about her when he came home from the war. There was no romance. He couldn't have had anything to do with her or he wouldn't have come home to me. And he came home just as he did before he went away."
My attention drifted most amid the sections on Ike's time as president of Columbia University—a quieter interlude before the White House years.
The author sidesteps deep dives into her grandfather's presidential agenda, zeroing in on Mamie's passions instead. Susan Eisenhower evokes unforgettable White House Christmases, none more vivid than the farewell one in 1960.
“With the White House years drawing to a close, Mamie put special effort into making Christmas memorable that year. All of us joined together for our last major holiday at the Executive Mansion. She had decorated the White House as never before, with a towering Christmas tree, pine boughs and holly everywhere, as well as a number of exquisitely made creches of the Nativity story. Presents were piled high under the magnificent tree and stretched for yards into the East Room.”
Even if 1950s politics leaves you cold, snag this for its laser focus on Mamie herself, with scant detours into era-defining headlines. And if Summersby Morgan's tale tempts you—or you've already bitten—pair it with this one. Essential balance awaits.
Susan Eisenhower writes with crisp, unexpected grace. She delivers a four-star journey, though the narrative stretches longer than strictly necessary, yet it holds your attention throughout.
This warm, intimate biography traces the life of the author's grandmother—Mamie's story as the wife of the Allied Supreme Commander in Europe and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
The book unfolds chronologically, and its opening chapters on the Eisenhower and Doud family cultures piqued my curiosity just enough while I itched to reach Mamie's core tale.
Eisenhower views the family's world through her grandmother's eyes. I grew to respect Mamie despite her enviably cushioned start in life. Military demands soon shattered that ease, thrusting her into maturity amid constant upheaval. The family's first profound trial came with the death of Ikky, their eldest son. Soon after that heartbreak, Mamie welcomed the author's father, John, into the world.
I savored the accounts of their postings across distant outposts. The marriage's initial deep fracture struck well before Ike encountered Kay Summersby Morgan. Panama's harsh conditions left Mamie reeling, so she balked at their next overseas assignment. The ensuing separation tested their bond to its limits. Later, orbiting Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, Ike headed there too—and this time, wiser from experience, Mamie joined him.
Mamie thrived on parties and social whirlwinds, yet she mastered the art of dismantling and relocating a household at lightning speed. Her resourcefulness won me over; nowhere does the text show her chafing at Ike over another uprooting. She met each demand head-on, as the Army required. Even in death, her foresight endured—descendants discovered she'd tagged every belonging with its backstory and heir.
Readers encounter Ike's fervent love letters from Europe, declarations Susan Eisenhower tallies at 319 during the war. Many pulse with the ache of displacement: without Mamie, he claimed, no true home awaited him after the day's grind. From Algiers in 1942, he wrote,
“Sometimes I get to missing you so that I simply don't know what to do. As pressure mounts and strain increases, everyone begins to show the weaknesses in his makeup. It is up to the Commander to conceal his; above all to conceal doubt, fear and distrust, especially in any subordinate, and to try to overcome the defects he finds around him. When the strain is long continued the commander gets to feeling more and more alone and lonesome, and his mind instinctively turns to something or someone that could help. This, of course is not well explained--but I mean only to tell you that constantly I think of you as someone who could provide the counterbalance for me--and send me back to work fitter to do a good job. No one else in the world could ever fill your place with me--and that is the reason I need you. Maybe a simpler explanation is merely that I LOVE YOU!! which I do, always. Never forget that, because, except for my duty, which I try to perform creditably, it is the only thing to which I can cling with confidence.”
The author ponders her grandmother's calm dismissal of Summersby Morgan's allegations.
“It is interesting that Mamie did not confide any concerns about Kay Summersby to her friends or to her parents, to whom in times past she had confided her deepest feelings. This suggests that she was not terribly worried about the veracity of the rumors. Years later Mamie would refute any notion that Ike had had a romance with his wartime driver, saying simply, ‘I know Ike.’"
Susan Eisenhower shares her father's take:
“John, who has always thought that too much fuss has been made over this question, once observed to me that we have a tendency to assess relationships of earlier eras in the context of today's behavior. ‘Dad would have made a lousy philanderer because he was so damned Victorian and moral,’ he said. ‘Sure he was attracted to vital women, like Marian Huff in the Philippines and Kay during the war, but these were friendships, not torrid affairs.’”
A British driver who served beside Summersby Morgan on Ike's wartime team backed John's view. “According to Inez Scott, one of the first WACs to join Eisenhower's "family" as a driver, Eisenhower and Bradley were two of the few officers who had "nothing to do with women" while overseas. ‘I had the highest respect for Ike and Mamie,’ she said later.
‘[Throughout the war] he never forgot he was married.’”
Susan Eisenhower notes a telling postwar trip Summersby Morgan took to New York, chaperoned by her father.
“In the final analysis, it is doubtful that Mamie would or could have believed Kay was romantically involved with her husband. The very fact that Ike put Kay in his son's charge would surely suggest the opposite. It is inconceivable that Ike would have sent his "lover" to the United States in the care of his son. He was not the kind of person to put John in such an untenable position vis-à-vis his mother.”
The author reinforces Ike's fidelity with a recollection from a journalist friend of Summersby Morgan's.
“Just before her death, Summersby confided in writer Bob Considine's wife, who asked Kay forthrightly if she had ever slept with Eisenhower. She replied, ‘The answer is no. Never... If he had asked me, beckoned a finger to me, I would have done anything he asked me to. But he never asked me.’”
Even Summersby Morgan's pal Bob Considine trashed the book, as Susan Eisenhower recounts:
“One of Summersby's close friends, journalist Bob Considine, said the ghostwriter gave the book ‘a racy flavor that corresponded roughly to what by then had become an accepted belief that she and Ike were lovers.’ Like Considine, all of Summersby's friends agreed that ghostwriters had ‘invented’ the book, basing it on Eisenhower Was My Boss. Sue Sarafian Jehl complained that the book ‘didn't sound at all like Kay.’ Other people who knew her decried the book as ‘a complete myth.’
‘In fact, this last dreadful book was only written after her death. She never saw a word of it... The whole thing was made up. Absolutely...’ said Anthea Saxe, her closest friend. ‘The book is so unlike Kay, it was ridiculous.’”
Susan Eisenhower debunks tales of Ike fast-tracking Summersby Morgan's entry into the U.S. Women's Army Corps. She draws on a letter where Ike inquired about hastening her application; his colleague warned of red tape, so Ike shelved it. Summersby Morgan commissioned months later anyway—likely thanks to President Roosevelt's nudge, in the author's view.
Mamie brushed off a wild claim from President Truman in Merle Miller’s Plain Speaking, where he alleged Ike begged Army Chief of Staff George Marshall for stateside leave to divorce her. Truman said Marshall shredded the letters in fury. Mamie’s retort? “Mr. Truman knew better.”
In a Barbara Walters interview mere days before a stroke silenced her, Mamie declared, "Ike told me all about her when he came home from the war. There was no romance. He couldn't have had anything to do with her or he wouldn't have come home to me. And he came home just as he did before he went away."
My attention drifted most amid the sections on Ike's time as president of Columbia University—a quieter interlude before the White House years.
The author sidesteps deep dives into her grandfather's presidential agenda, zeroing in on Mamie's passions instead. Susan Eisenhower evokes unforgettable White House Christmases, none more vivid than the farewell one in 1960.
“With the White House years drawing to a close, Mamie put special effort into making Christmas memorable that year. All of us joined together for our last major holiday at the Executive Mansion. She had decorated the White House as never before, with a towering Christmas tree, pine boughs and holly everywhere, as well as a number of exquisitely made creches of the Nativity story. Presents were piled high under the magnificent tree and stretched for yards into the East Room.”
Even if 1950s politics leaves you cold, snag this for its laser focus on Mamie herself, with scant detours into era-defining headlines. And if Summersby Morgan's tale tempts you—or you've already bitten—pair it with this one. Essential balance awaits.
July 13, 2016
I was not excited about reading this book and the read was not exciting. But, I found myself getting through it rather quickly and it was interesting. Eisenhower is the first president that I remember and I certainly remember his wife as well--especially her bangs and her hats. But I knew very little else about them. This book is full of personal correspondence between the 2 of them, as well as revealing their lives and lifestyles. It turns out that Ike was quite the romantic and Mamie was extremely loyal and supportive of him. There are pages of photos from different stages of their lives which were fascinating to me. I came away from this book with the feeling that our country has fallen a long way from the moral, hard working, family loving ways of the Eisenhowers.
August 16, 2010
Not sure why it took so long to read this book ... not a thriller, but I related to the history it was revealing and enjoyed the descriptions of Mamie. She was never one of my favorites during our lifetimes together because if felt she was "stuck up." So it was nice to read this book and see her from another perspective ... Her granddaughter's or daughter-in-law's. The revelation I had was the way the generals and presidents were treated during that time compared to my impression of how they are treated now ... especially while Ike was in the Army. Interesting book with lots of good history! Wonder how John Eisenhower is doing now!
August 10, 2018
Not thrilled with book. Discussed it with Mount Holyoke alum book group last night. Several felt the same - interesting, parts rather tedious. For me, more than I wanted to know about the wife of an army man. Susan Eisenhower's love for her grandmother came through loud and clear.
October 8, 2024
Mrs. Ike.my hero
If I could visit anyone in History , Mrs. Ike would be one of the greatest . She had spirit and will to do anything. As a military's wife She was one of the best, I too traveled that road not as long but it takes a strong person to do it. Spouses of the military face twice as much pressure in everyday life and never get the pats on the back. Most people these days think of her as the 50's "housewife but She could teach any " liber" a thing or two. She talk the talk and what's more She walked.the walk. People.forget.that the 50 started with the 30 and the 40. Read t his one maybe a few times. We could learn a lot from the old school. Enjoy her company even in print She,' something else. Enjoy
If I could visit anyone in History , Mrs. Ike would be one of the greatest . She had spirit and will to do anything. As a military's wife She was one of the best, I too traveled that road not as long but it takes a strong person to do it. Spouses of the military face twice as much pressure in everyday life and never get the pats on the back. Most people these days think of her as the 50's "housewife but She could teach any " liber" a thing or two. She talk the talk and what's more She walked.the walk. People.forget.that the 50 started with the 30 and the 40. Read t his one maybe a few times. We could learn a lot from the old school. Enjoy her company even in print She,' something else. Enjoy
Read
January 4, 2020Read because General Eisenhower was Supreme Commander in Europe, I serving under General Paton in the 76th Infantry Division, 85 Regiment, Headquarters Company as radio and telegraph operator.
Further, Ike was President of Columbia University from 1948 through 1952 while in June 1948 I earned my graduate degree in Librarianship.
"The story of how a saucy young lady from Denver, Mamie Doud Eisenhower, meets her match in handsome Ike Eisenhower, a farm boy fresh out of West Point, and becomes the Army wife par excellence. They were two very passionate and private people whose 53-year marriage, much of it lived in the public eye, survived great tragedies, misunderstandings, and adventures - and led to glowing triumphs in World War II and the White House. Mrs. Ike is not only a biography of a beloved American but a superb account of a complex marriage. Susan Eisenhower helps readers see her grandmother as her husband did - a heroic and irresistible figure in her own right."
Further, Ike was President of Columbia University from 1948 through 1952 while in June 1948 I earned my graduate degree in Librarianship.
"The story of how a saucy young lady from Denver, Mamie Doud Eisenhower, meets her match in handsome Ike Eisenhower, a farm boy fresh out of West Point, and becomes the Army wife par excellence. They were two very passionate and private people whose 53-year marriage, much of it lived in the public eye, survived great tragedies, misunderstandings, and adventures - and led to glowing triumphs in World War II and the White House. Mrs. Ike is not only a biography of a beloved American but a superb account of a complex marriage. Susan Eisenhower helps readers see her grandmother as her husband did - a heroic and irresistible figure in her own right."
Read
March 18, 2025A little slow in the middle, trying to keep track of all the moves to various army bases and the friends they met along the way, this was truly a fascinating book about a woman little known to my generation (late Boomer). I have great admiration for the character qualities she displayed in difficult times and have no doubt that her husband was so successful in his efforts at winning WWII because of her support and character on the home front.
July 19, 2025
This was a great book about Mamie. I grew up in Dickinson County Kansas during Ike's White House years and knew little about Mamie. I have not been to the museum since remodeled and have enjoyed it in earlier years. The book was well written and informative. I am so glad I have been able to learn more about Mamie and her contribution to Ike's life. So many memories were recorded and pictures of their lives.
February 1, 2024
My friends and I are reading about the first ladies and this was my pick for Mamie Eisenhower. We appreciated the points to ponder in the book and had a wonderful discussion about her, her marriage and role in society. Susan's love and respect for her Grandmother shines in some of the intimate details she shared-we too fell in love with Mamie.
July 15, 2025
We know much about President Ike, but only see glimpses of the woman that stood beside him. This was a fantastic biography of a woman with drive, courage, resilience and undying devotion. Susan Eisenhower gives an honest view of the woman her grandmother was and the legacy she left behind. Well worth the read.
February 20, 2019
Susan did a beautiful job of painting a picture of her grandmother! Mamie Eisenhower was a First Lady before the prevalence of 24 hour news cycles so she really was a mystery to most of Americans. People only saw her in planned photo ops. She was in fact a spirited interesting woman.
June 14, 2025
One of my favorite books this year. President Eisenhower and Mamie were two incredible people that loved each other, their family & friends, and their country. So many quotes in here I kept and will look back on. Such a great read!
February 5, 2019
Excellent!!
January 3, 2024
Great Read
This book has so much information on the history of the Eisenhower’s life together and the trials and triumphs in their lives. I really enjoyed this book!
This book has so much information on the history of the Eisenhower’s life together and the trials and triumphs in their lives. I really enjoyed this book!
Read
October 3, 2025Lovely biography written by Mamie's granddaughter. I really enjoyed the personal tales from their lives.
April 26, 2017
I very much enjoyed this book and the pages of our history and the people that graced it. I remember my mom being very impressed with mamie as our first lady. Their was no one like her Mamie. As though she owned her or a piece of her. I found myself at the time thinking well, maybe but those bangs! It was so lovely to see Mamie from the eyes of her family and those she loved and loved her. She had such inner strength that I soon discovered what it was my mom found so likeable in her. Suddenly the charm of her bangs became endering and I couldn't imagine why I didn't like them all along. She had her own beautiful style that she never strayed from in her life time. I am glad to ahve read this book and hope others find it lovely too.
March 21, 2013
This was an very interesting book. Eisenhower was president when I was growing up and I remember campaigning against him for Goldwater. Mamie was a true lady and such an amazing woman thrown into a world of military life where she was at first truly a fish out of water and not able to even boil water. I enjoyed reading about her life and their life together. He was not an easy man to live with.
Toward the end I got tired of the military focus but loved the life stories from Mamie and her family.
Toward the end I got tired of the military focus but loved the life stories from Mamie and her family.
February 8, 2018
Highly recommend this biography for anyone with a loved one in the military or in any government service. Especially a soldier’s or officer’s spouse. And what an endearing love story! Precious couple.
A terrific account of WW1-post WW2 American History as well. I read (parts of) this with my kids.
A terrific account of WW1-post WW2 American History as well. I read (parts of) this with my kids.
November 28, 2023
I gave it two stars because I learned some things about military life during the first half of the 20th century and a few things about the Eisenhowers. But it was tough to force myself to keep reading at times. Pedestrian writing, lack of cohesion, and missed opportunities to develop characters abound.
May 9, 2023
Inspired me to write my next (historical) fiction novel based on White House dinner my grandmother went to in 1960 with David and Barbara Eisenhower. Loved reading about Mamie's life, especially seeing it was written by her granddaughter.
June 6, 2009
This book was fabulous!! I learned so much about Mamie and greatly admire her.
July 1, 2009
Really enjoyed this book about an amazing couple. Learned a great deal. Glad to fill myself in on a bit of our history and the people that made it.
Read
July 5, 2013It was a lovely memoir by a granddaughter. It is hard to imagine that such an amazing life was lived and that it can be summarized in a single book
February 5, 2013
Loved this.
October 6, 2013
Good but sooo long
July 26, 2016
Very well written. A lot of information beyond Mrs. Eisenhower's life.
April 14, 2018
DNF @ 100 pages in. Same story at a new post got old. Eisenhower didn't really seem to have his wife's best interest at heart. Got sick of hearing about that guy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews