Presidency · Presidents

Dwight D. Eisenhower

34th president · Republican · January 20, 1953 – January 19, 1961

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. In his previous military career, he commanded the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II, including in Operation Torch in North Africa and Operation Overlord on D-Day in Normandy. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

How to read this

Each card takes a series from one of the site’s Presidency, Congress or Supreme Court pages and shows only the time Eisenhower was in office. Monthly figures run from the month of the inauguration to the month the term ended; a fiscal or calendar year counts for the president who held office for most of its days. Cards whose data begins after 1953 say where it starts, and a card with no data for the term is left out.

These are conditions during a presidency, not a scorecard. Congress, the courts, the Federal Reserve, the business cycle and events abroad move every one of these numbers, and many policies take effect years after they are signed, so a change during a term is not a measure of what the president caused.

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John F. Kennedy →

8 yearsIn office2,922 days

—Laws signedData starts 1973

—Executive ordersData starts 1994

5Justices appointed

Who held power

Party control of Congress

Republicans held both chambers for 2 years and neither for 6 years.

87th Congress1961House: Dem.264 D · 173 RSenate: Dem.64 D · 36 R
86th Congress1959–1961House: Dem.282 D · 153 R · 1 otherSenate: Dem.65 D · 35 R
85th Congress1957–1959House: Dem.232 D · 203 RSenate: Dem.49 D · 47 R
84th Congress1955–1957House: Dem.232 D · 203 RSenate: Dem.48 D · 47 R · 1 other
83rd Congress1953–1955House: Rep.213 D · 221 R · 1 otherSenate: Rep.47 D · 48 R · 1 other

Seats are at the start of each Congress. Democrats and Republicans include the independents who caucused with them.

Data notes

Each Congress is clipped to the days this president was in office. A chamber’s majority is the party that held it for most of those days; seat counts are at the start of the Congress, with independents counted with the party they caucused with. From the House and Senate historians’ party divisions.

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Supreme Court appointments

Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed 5 justices: Warren (1953), Harlan (1955), Brennan (1956), Whittaker (1957) and Stewart (1958).

Potter Stewart · Associate justiceNominated Oct 14, 1958 · confirmed 70–17
Charles Whittaker · Associate justiceNominated Mar 2, 1957 · confirmed by voice vote
William Brennan · Associate justiceNominated Oct 15, 1956 · confirmed by voice vote
John Harlan · Associate justiceNominated Jan 10, 1955 · confirmed 71–11
Earl Warren · Chief justiceNominated Oct 2, 1953 · confirmed by voice vote

Data notes

A justice counts for the president who nominated them (a recess appointment from the day it began, if earlier). An associate justice later made chief by another president, like William Rehnquist, counts as an elevation for the second. Failed and withdrawn nominations are not listed. Dates and Senate votes from the Federal Judicial Center.

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Economy

Misery index

The misery index (unemployment plus inflation) was 3.6 in January 1953 and 8.2 in January 1961, with a high of 11 in April 1958.

Misery index

Jan 1953 3.6 → Jan 1961 8.2

Unemployment and inflation

Jan 1953 2.9% → Jan 1961 6.6%

Unemployment rateInflation

Data notes

The misery index adds the unemployment rate to inflation (consumer prices, change from a year earlier) for the same month. Unemployment is the BLS rate, seasonally adjusted, from 1948; inflation is from the consumer price index, from 1948. The first reading is the month the president took office, the last the month the term ended. Both are national averages and are revised.

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Misery index
Period	Value
Jan 1953	3.6
Feb 1953	3.3
Mar 1953	3.5
Apr 1953	3.6
May 1953	3.4
Jun 1953	3.4
Jul 1953	3
Aug 1953	3.3
Sep 1953	3.9
Oct 1953	4.1
Nov 1953	4.1
Dec 1953	5.1
Jan 1954	6
Feb 1954	6.7
Mar 1954	6.8
Apr 1954	6.5
May 1954	6.8
Jun 1954	6.2
Jul 1954	6.1
Aug 1954	6
Sep 1954	5.8
Oct 1954	4.8
Nov 1954	5
Dec 1954	4.6
Jan 1955	4.3
Feb 1955	4.1
Mar 1955	4.1
Apr 1955	4.4
May 1955	3.7
Jun 1955	3.3
Jul 1955	3.6
Aug 1955	3.7
Sep 1955	4.2
Oct 1955	4.7
Nov 1955	4.6
Dec 1955	4.6
Jan 1956	4.2
Feb 1956	4
Mar 1956	4.6
Apr 1956	4.5
May 1956	5.3
Jun 1956	5.9
Jul 1956	6.4
Aug 1956	6.3
Sep 1956	5.8
Oct 1956	6.5
Nov 1956	6.6
Dec 1956	7
Jan 1957	7.3
Feb 1957	7.4
Mar 1957	7.3
Apr 1957	7.6
May 1957	7.7
Jun 1957	7.8
Jul 1957	7.5
Aug 1957	7.7
Sep 1957	7.9
Oct 1957	7.4
Nov 1957	8.4
Dec 1957	8.2
Jan 1958	9.3
Feb 1958	9.6
Mar 1958	10.3
Apr 1958	11
May 1958	10.8
Jun 1958	10.1
Jul 1958	10
Aug 1958	9.7
Sep 1958	9.2
Oct 1958	8.8
Nov 1958	8.1
Dec 1958	8
Jan 1959	7.3
Feb 1959	6.9
Mar 1959	5.9
Apr 1959	5.3
May 1959	5.4
Jun 1959	5.7
Jul 1959	6
Aug 1959	6
Sep 1959	6.7
Oct 1959	7.2
Nov 1959	7.2
Dec 1959	6.8
Jan 1960	6.4
Feb 1960	6.2
Mar 1960	6.9
Apr 1960	7.1
May 1960	6.9
Jun 1960	7.1
Jul 1960	6.9
Aug 1960	7.1
Sep 1960	6.7
Oct 1960	7.5
Nov 1960	7.6
Dec 1960	8
Jan 1961	8.2

Unemployment and inflation
Period	Unemployment rate	Inflation
Jan 1953	2.9%	0.7%
Feb 1953	2.6%	0.7%
Mar 1953	2.6%	0.9%
Apr 1953	2.7%	0.9%
May 1953	2.5%	0.9%
Jun 1953	2.5%	0.9%
Jul 1953	2.6%	0.4%
Aug 1953	2.7%	0.6%
Sep 1953	2.9%	1%
Oct 1953	3.1%	1%
Nov 1953	3.5%	0.6%
Dec 1953	4.5%	0.6%
Jan 1954	4.9%	1.1%
Feb 1954	5.2%	1.5%
Mar 1954	5.7%	1.1%
Apr 1954	5.9%	0.6%
May 1954	5.9%	0.9%
Jun 1954	5.6%	0.6%
Jul 1954	5.8%	0.3%
Aug 1954	6%	0%
Sep 1954	6.1%	−0.3%
Oct 1954	5.7%	−0.9%
Nov 1954	5.3%	−0.3%
Dec 1954	5%	−0.4%
Jan 1955	4.9%	−0.6%
Feb 1955	4.7%	−0.6%
Mar 1955	4.6%	−0.5%
Apr 1955	4.7%	−0.3%
May 1955	4.3%	−0.6%
Jun 1955	4.2%	−0.9%
Jul 1955	4%	−0.4%
Aug 1955	4.2%	−0.5%
Sep 1955	4.1%	0.1%
Oct 1955	4.3%	0.4%
Nov 1955	4.2%	0.4%
Dec 1955	4.2%	0.4%
Jan 1956	4%	0.2%
Feb 1956	3.9%	0.1%
Mar 1956	4.2%	0.4%
Apr 1956	4%	0.5%
May 1956	4.3%	1%
Jun 1956	4.3%	1.6%
Jul 1956	4.4%	2%
Aug 1956	4.1%	2.2%
Sep 1956	3.9%	1.9%
Oct 1956	3.9%	2.6%
Nov 1956	4.3%	2.3%
Dec 1956	4.2%	2.8%
Jan 1957	4.2%	3.1%
Feb 1957	3.9%	3.5%
Mar 1957	3.7%	3.6%
Apr 1957	3.9%	3.7%
May 1957	4.1%	3.6%
Jun 1957	4.3%	3.5%
Jul 1957	4.2%	3.3%
Aug 1957	4.1%	3.6%
Sep 1957	4.4%	3.5%
Oct 1957	4.5%	2.9%
Nov 1957	5.1%	3.3%
Dec 1957	5.2%	3%
Jan 1958	5.8%	3.5%
Feb 1958	6.4%	3.2%
Mar 1958	6.7%	3.6%
Apr 1958	7.4%	3.6%
May 1958	7.4%	3.4%
Jun 1958	7.3%	2.8%
Jul 1958	7.5%	2.5%
Aug 1958	7.4%	2.3%
Sep 1958	7.1%	2.1%
Oct 1958	6.7%	2.1%
Nov 1958	6.2%	1.9%
Dec 1958	6.2%	1.8%
Jan 1959	6%	1.3%
Feb 1959	5.9%	1%
Mar 1959	5.6%	0.3%
Apr 1959	5.2%	0.1%
May 1959	5.1%	0.3%
Jun 1959	5%	0.7%
Jul 1959	5.1%	0.9%
Aug 1959	5.2%	0.8%
Sep 1959	5.5%	1.2%
Oct 1959	5.7%	1.5%
Nov 1959	5.8%	1.4%
Dec 1959	5.3%	1.5%
Jan 1960	5.2%	1.2%
Feb 1960	4.8%	1.4%
Mar 1960	5.4%	1.5%
Apr 1960	5.2%	1.9%
May 1960	5.1%	1.8%
Jun 1960	5.4%	1.7%
Jul 1960	5.5%	1.4%
Aug 1960	5.6%	1.5%
Sep 1960	5.5%	1.2%
Oct 1960	6.1%	1.4%
Nov 1960	6.1%	1.5%
Dec 1960	6.6%	1.4%
Jan 1961	6.6%	1.6%

Economy →

Federal deficit and debt

The federal budget balance, as a share of GDP, was −0.3% in FY1954 and −0.6% in FY1961, with a high of +0.9% in FY1956.

Budget balance, % of GDP

FY1954 −0.3% → FY1961 −0.6%

Data notes

The budget balance is the federal surplus (above zero) or deficit (below) as a share of GDP, by fiscal year (July to June through 1976, October to September since); a year counts for the president in office for most of it, though its budget was usually passed the year before. Debt is total public debt as a share of GDP, quarterly from 1966, including debt the government holds in its own trust funds.

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Budget balance, % of GDP
Period	Value
FY1954	−0.3%
FY1955	−0.7%
FY1956	+0.9%
FY1957	+0.7%
FY1958	−0.6%
FY1959	−2.5%
FY1960	+0.1%
FY1961	−0.6%

Economy →

Security and energy

Troops abroad

Troops stationed abroad numbered 1.08M in June 1953 and 557k in September 1960. Germany hosted the most in 7 of those years.

Active-duty troops abroad

Data starts June 1953

Jun 1953 1.08M → Sep 1960 557k

Data notes

Active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed outside the United States and its territories (afloat and unassigned included where the source reports them), one snapshot a year (September; June for 1953–56), from the Defense Manpower Data Center’s tables and, for years it did not publish, troopdata. The year in progress shows its latest quarter, hatched. From December 2017 DMDC counts permanent assignments only, so later figures leave out most deployed forces.

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Active-duty troops abroad
Period	Value
Jun 1953	1,079,008
Jun 1954	919,799
Jun 1955	740,438
Jun 1956	688,576
Sep 1957	730,234
Sep 1958	612,302
Sep 1959	581,102
Sep 1960	557,254

Troops abroad →

Source: the site’s Presidency, Congress and Supreme Court data, each named in its card’s Data notes; party control of Congress from the House and Senate historians; appointments from the Federal Judicial Center. Portrait: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Built October 19, 2026.