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Mary "Mamie" Doud Eisenhower
Date of Birth: November 14, 1896
Date of Death: November 7, 1979 [82]
Married: July 1, 1916 -
Dwight Eisenhower
Children: 2

  • "Ike runs the country and I turn the pork chops," she once stated
  • She also said "Every woman over fifty should stay in bed until noon
  • She did just that, often working from her bed while still in pajamas
  • She insisted on being escorted to and from the White House via the Diplomatic entrance, and commanded her footprints be brushed from the White House carpets
  • Her favorite color was pink, and along with fresh pink flowers sent to her each morning by her husband, she began changing as many White House decorations as possible to her favorite color
  • Reporters began refering to the White House as the "Pink Palace"
  • One of her first duties was to hurriedly call a press conference to announce to reporters that she intended to have no press conferences
  • At the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn in 1953, Mamie asked why Black children watched the event from the gate instead of being at the gala
  • When told Blacks were excluded, she threatened to cancel the activity if the rules weren't changed
  • Beginning in 1954, the Easter Egg Roll was open to all children on a first-come first-serve basis