The Eisenhower Monument at the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
is a monument to former
General of the Army and the 34th President of the United States,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
.
The subject
As a member of the famed West Point Class of 1915, (known as
"The Class the Stars Fell On"), Eisenhower rose to prominence as an Army officer during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, where he was the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...
. After the war, he served as the Army's
Chief of Staff before being elected President in 1952.
Description and commissioning
The statue stands nine feet tall and is perched upon a pedestal of red granite.
The bid for the monument originally included noted sculptors
Donald De Lue
Donald Harcourt De Lue (October 5, 1897, Boston, Massachusetts – August 26, 1988, Leonardo, New Jersey) was an American sculptor, best known for his public monuments.
Life and career
De Lue studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and la ...
,
Felix De Weldon
Felix Weihs de Weldon (April 12, 1907 – June 3, 2003) was an American sculptor. His most famous pieces include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial, 1954) in the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, US, and the Mala ...
and
Walker Hancock
Walker Kirtland Hancock (June 28, 1901 – December 30, 1998) was an American sculptor and teacher. He created notable monumental sculptures, including the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial (1950–52) at 30th Street Station in Philadel ...
, but the commission went to class of 1953 West Point graduate Robert L. Dean Jr.
[ ] After receiving the commission, Dean was offered one of the General's actual uniforms as a model by Eisenhower's son.
Dean molded the wax model at his home in Pennsylvania and cast the bronze statue in Italy before the monument was unveiled on 3 May 1983.
See also
*
List of sculptures of presidents of the United States
This is a list of statues and busts of presidents of the United States.
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
William Henry Har ...
References
External links
Robert L. Dean's website
{{Dwight D. Eisenhower, state=expanded
1983 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in New York (state)
Monuments and memorials at West Point
Outdoor sculptures in New York (state)
Statues in New York (state)
Statues of Dwight D. Eisenhower
Statues of military officers
1983 establishments in New York (state)