First Lady Marie “Mamie” Geneva Doud Eisenhower (1896–1979) was born on this day in Boone, Iowa. Known for her devotion to Dwight D. Eisenhower, her trademark bangs, and a fondness for the color pink, she brought a welcoming sparkle to the 1950s White House.

She met the strong‑jawed Second Lieutenant Eisenhower in October 1915; they wed nine months later. “I had a few other beaux, and I wasn’t about to give them up immediately,” she said. “But Ike was never easily discouraged. He simply out‑persisted the competition.”

As a nomad Army wife, Mamie moved 25 times — seven in one year — before reaching the White House. Practical and quick‑witted, she joked that Oriental rugs were ideal for service families: when orders came, you packed the pictures, a few essentials, and rolled up the rugs.

Years later she recalled her husband’s early warning: “Mamie, there is one thing you must understand. My country comes first and always will. You come second.” During the presidential campaign, she even appeared in bathrobe and curlers on a platform during a 70‑stop train tour, unpretentious and loyal to the core.

Despite a heart weakened by childhood rheumatic fever, she loved to dance and play the piano. Radiating warmth and friendliness, Mamie said in 1952 she was thankful for the privilege of “tagging along by Ike’s side.”