David A. Nichols

The Religious Journey of Dwight D. Eisenhower

History & Biography

“Jack Holl has effectively refuted skeptics who easily assume that Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential statements on religion were politically motivated. Ike’s faith reflected ‘still waters running deep,’ informing all his actions and policies. Although not sectarian, Eisenhower believed that America’s civil religion, a legacy of the founding fathers, was essential to the preservation of American democracy. In Holl’s words, Eisenhower saw himself as ‘a civil pastor to all Americans who believed in God,’ and—critically for scholars of his racial policies—Ike envisioned ‘a spiritual America unconstrained by color or creed.’”