Mary Jean Eisenhower

American humanitarian

Mary Jean Eisenhower

Mary Jean Eisenhower at the Military Child of the Year Awards Gala in 2013

Born|  (1955-12-21) December 21, 1955 (age 69)

Washington, D.C., U.S.

Occupation| Chairman of People to People International
Spouse| James Brewton Millard
Children| 1
Parents|

* John Eisenhower (father)
* Barbara Thompson (mother)

Mary Jean Eisenhower (born December 21, 1955) is an American humanitarian. She is the chairman emeritus (and former president and chief executive officer) of People to People International. She is a granddaughter of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Mary Eisenhower was born in Washington, D.C., during her grandfather's first term and christened in the Blue Room of the White House. She grew up on Eisenhower estate in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where President Eisenhower retired after leaving office. Ms. Eisenhower attended Schuylkill Consolidated School in fifth grade and Westtown School in Pennsylvania until her father, John Eisenhower, was appointed United States Ambassador to Belgium. She lived in Belgium from 1969 to 1972. Eisenhower began her career working on Capitol Hill and then managed an engineering firm. She also has served as a Fellow at Stanford University.[2]

In 1973, Mary Jean Eisenhower was presented as a debutante to high society at the prestigious International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. All of her sisters and many other members of the Eisenhower family have been presented as debutantes at the International Debutante Ball in New York City.[3]

## Work with People to People International

[edit]

Eisenhower has worked to develop and expand the mission of People to People International.[4] She became the chief executive officer of People to People International in January 2000 and its president in 2003. Eisenhower served as chief executive officer until June 2013. She currently holds the title of chairman emeritus. In February 2016, Eisenhower resumed her position as CEO of People to People International and President in October 2016.

During her work with People to People International, Eisenhower visited Morocco to represent her family to the King on the 50th anniversary of the Casablanca Conference. She also traveled to the beaches of Normandy to meet many of the veterans who served under her grandfather during the D-Day invasion. In the last six years, Eisenhower has left United States soil over 70 times and visited over 40 countries. Missions have ranged from meeting first families to distributing foodstuffs in developing countries to cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

Inspired by an orphanage she visited in Morocco, Eisenhower launched the People to People International Friendship Fund in 1999. The Fund is designed to enable individuals to support the service-oriented facilities they visit throughout the world and to provide a mechanism through which the network of PTPI Chapters can assist one another. Today, the fund has supported causes ranging from the Global Humanitarian Eradication of Landmines, Children's Mercy Hospital in London, England, United Kingdom, earthquake relief in India, disaster relief to victims of September 11 attacks, and their families, support of under resourced schools in China and Sri Lanka, a home for leukemia victims and their families in Cuba, to a library project in Vietnam and the Friends of Egypt organization. One hundred percent of all funds received by the International Friendship Fund are allocated in support of the projects specified by donors.[5]

After the September 11 attacks, Eisenhower became intently focused upon bringing young people from around the globe into contact with one another in order to expose them to diverse cultures and conflict management tools that might facilitate the amelioration of long-standing disputes. Her vision came to fruition with Peace Camp 2003: An Evolution of Thought and Change and the Global Peace Initiative. Both the Peace Camp and the Global Peace Initiative brought participants from over 30 nationalities together in Egypt to discuss contemporary issues and gain nuanced insights into the varied and unique cultures represented among the participants. Suzanne Mubarak, former First Lady of Egypt, co-hosted this event.

People to People International filed for bankruptcy on March 22, 2022, in Missouri Western Bankruptcy court.[6]

## Personal life

[edit]

Mary Jean Eisenhower and Army 2nd Lt. James Brewton Millard married in May 1976 at a private military ceremony in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, attended by her grandmother, former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.[7] Her son is Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, who became chief operations officer and then chief executive officer of People to People International in 2018.[8][9][10][11]

## Awards

[edit]

Eisenhower has been awarded the Knight of Peace Award from the International University in Assisi, Italy. She also holds Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters from Schiller International University, Park University and William Jewell College. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Law from York College, in York, Nebraska. She was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Slovak Republic as well as Friendship Ambassador from the People's Republic of China, The Award of Excellence from the Consular Corps, Membership in the OSS Society, among others.

## Family tree

[edit]

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1890–1969)| | Mamie Doud
(1896–1979)|

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Richard Nixon
(1913–1994)| | Pat Ryan
(1912–1993)| | | | Doud Eisenhower
(1917–1921)| | | | John Eisenhower
(1922–2013)| | Barbara Thompson
(1926–2014)
| | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Edward Cox
(1946–present)| | Tricia Nixon
(1946–present)| | | | | | | | | Julie Nixon
(1948–present)| | David Eisenhower
(1948–present)| | | | Fernando
Echavarría-Uribe| | Anne Eisenhower
(1949–2022)| | Susan Eisenhower
(1951–present)| | John Mahon| | Mary Eisenhower
(1955–present)| | Ralph Atwater
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Andrea Catsimatidis
(1990–present)| | Christopher Cox
(1979–present)| | | Anthony Cheslock
(1977–present)| | Jennie Eisenhower
(1978–present)| | Alex Eisenhower
(1980–present)| | Tara Brennan
(1979–present)| | Melanie Eisenhower
(1984–present)| | Adriana Echavarria
(1969–present)| | | | | | Amelia Eisenhower Mahon
(1981/82–present)| | | | Merrill Eisenhower Atwater
(1981–present)
| |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Larsen, Douglas (December 28, 1955). "Mary Jane Eisenhower Enters Life Facing Two Demanding Traditions". Florence Times. p. Section 2 Page 3. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
2. ^ "Bio of Mary Jean Eisenhower". MJ Eisenhower & Associates. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
3. ^ "Eisenhower Gathering Marks Debutante Ball". The New York Times. 29 December 1973. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
4. ^ "Eisenhower Granddaughter Pushes Exchange Programs". Boca Raton News. October 24, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
5. ^ "Welcome to PTPI". People to People International. Archived from the original on December 22, 1997. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
6. ^ Lukitsch, Bill (March 25, 2022). "Parents feel cheated by Kansas City student travel provider People to People". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
7. ^ "Mary Eisenhower Wed". The Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. May 31, 1976. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
8. ^ "Dwight D. Eisenhower's Great Grandson to Speak at Eisenhower MS". The Oregon Oracle. Vol. 12, no. 2\. Orgegon City Schools. April 2013. p. 2. Retrieved October 2, 2020 – via Issuu.
9. ^ "Dwight D. Eisenhower inducted into Kansas Walk of Honor". Kansas Department of Administration. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
10. ^ "Director of Aviation Merrill Atwater departs KDOT" (PDF) (Press release). Kansas Department of Transportation. December 20, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
11. ^ "About PTPI". People to People International. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Dwight D. Eisenhower

* 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)
* Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952)
* Chief of Staff of the Army (1945–1948)
* Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1943–1945)

Military
career|

* Military career
* 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy
* Louisiana Maneuvers
* Operation Torch
* European Theater of Operations
* Allied invasion of Sicily
* Armistice of Cassibile
* June 6, 1944, order of the day
* People of Western Europe speech
* Normandy landings
* Operation Veritable
* Berlin Declaration
* Military Governor, U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany
* Disarmed Enemy Forces
* European Advisory Commission
* Supreme Commander of NATO, 1951-1952

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* 1953 inauguration
* 1957 inauguration
* State of the Union Address
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* Cabinet
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* Farewell address
* "Military–industrial complex"
* Kennedy transition
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations

| Foreign policy|

* Eisenhower Doctrine
* Korean War
* 1953; Korean Armistice Agreement
* 1953 Iranian coup d'état
* "Chance for Peace" speech (1953)
* Cold War
* Domino theory
* Khrushchev, Eisenhower and De-Stalinization
* New Look policy
* 1955 Geneva Summit
* 1960 U-2 incident
* Atomic Energy Act of 1954
* Atoms for Peace
* Restricted Data
* Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954
* Food for Peace
* Suez Crisis (1956)
* DARPA (1958)
* EURATOM Cooperation Act of 1958
* National Aeronautics and Space Act
* 1958; NASA
* Operation 40 (1960)

|

Domestic policy|

* Executive Order 10479 (1953)
* Outer Continental Shelf Act (1953)
* Refugee Relief Act (1953)
* Submerged Lands Act (1953)
* U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1953)
* Agricultural Act of 1954
* National Wool Act of 1954
* Special Milk Program
* Excise Tax Reduction Act of 1954
* Internal Revenue Code of 1954
* Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954
* Small Watershed Program
* Air Pollution Control Act of 1955
* Agricultural Act of 1956
* Soil Bank Act
* Soil Bank Program
* Federal Voting Assistance Program (1955)
* Bank Holding Company Act (1956)
* Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
* Interstate Highway System
* Highway Trust Fund
* Fish and Wildlife Act (1956)
* People to People Student Ambassador Program (1956)
* President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1956)
* Civil Rights Act of 1957
* U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
* U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
* Federal Plant Pest Act of 1957
* Little Rock Nine intervention (1957)
* Price–Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act (1957)
* Alaska Statehood Act (1958)
* Humane Slaughter Act (1958)
* National Defense Education Act
* 1958; Federal Perkins Loan
* Student loans in the United States
* Hawaii Admission Act (1959)
* Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960
* Civil Rights Act of 1960
* Sikes Act (1960)

Books|

* Crusade in Europe (1948)

Elections|

* Draft Eisenhower movement
* Republican Party presidential primaries (1948
* 1952
* 1956)
* Republican National Convention (1952
* 1956)
* United States Presidential election (1952
* 1956)

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* Birthplace
* Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, gravesite
* Boyhood home
* Eisenhower National Historic Site
* Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
* Eisenhower Executive Office Building
* Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport
* Eisenhower Fellowships
* Eisenhower Institute
* Eisenhower Monument
* Eisenhower dollar
* Eisenhower Centennial silver dollar
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center
* Eisenhower Medical Center
* Eisenhower Trophy
* Eisenhower Tunnel
* Eisenhower Golf Club
* Eisenhower Theater
* Statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower (U.S. Capitol)
* Fort Eisenhower
* Mount Eisenhower
* Places named for Eisenhower
* Other tributes and memorials

Popular
culture|

* Eisenhower jacket
* Eisenhower Tree
* Crusade in Europe (1949 television series)
* Backstairs at the White House (1979 miniseries)
* Ike (1979 miniseries)
* Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004 film)
* Pressure (2014 play)

Family|

* Mary "Mamie" Geneva Doud Eisenhower (wife)
* John Eisenhower (son)
* David Eisenhower (grandson)
* Anne Eisenhower (granddaughter)
* Susan Eisenhower (granddaughter)
* Mary Jean Eisenhower (granddaughter)
* Jennie Eisenhower (great-granddaughter)
* Ida Stover Eisenhower (mother)
* Arthur Eisenhower (brother)
* Edgar N. Eisenhower (brother)
* Roy Eisenhower (brother)
* Earl D. Eisenhower (brother)
* Milton S. Eisenhower (brother)

Related|

* Eisenhower baseball controversy
* Camp David
* "And I don't care what it is"
* Atoms for Peace Award
* Introduction to Outer Space
* Eddie Slovik
* Kay Summersby

* ← Harry S. Truman
* John F. Kennedy →

* Category

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

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