1968: The Eisenhower-Nixon Wedding
On December 22, 1968, two political families came together in Holy Matrimony when David Eisenhower, the grandson of former President Dwight Eisenhower, married Julie Nixon, the daughter of Eisenhower's Vice-President, the then President-Elect Richard M. Nixon. Nixon had just been elected President the previous month, defeating Hubert Humphrey, winning the prize that had been denied him two elections earlier.
The nuptials took place in a church in New York City church, decorated with red and white poinsettias. The couple had met at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, California, in 1956 while the groom's grandfather was campaigning for re-election. They were both eight years old at the time. The shared the unique experience of growing up in the spotlight of national politics. The couple began dating in 1967, when they were both 19. Their romance was akin to American royalty, and the two presented an image of a wholesome, all-American couple, at a time when the culture of the nation was in flux and traditional family and relationship roles were undergoing changes. The President-Elect called his daughter and her fiance “front-line troops in the battle to reestablish…traditional virtues” during his 1968 presidential campaign as it became harder for the young couple to keep their personal life private.
But private is just what the young couple wanted to keep their wedding ceremony. The bride was interviewed by telephone from her future home in Berwyn Pennsylvania by a correspondent for the AARP Bulletin and she said, "Whether my father won or lost, we had no desire to be married in the White House. We were not interested in being minor celebrities or in the hoopla." David Eisenhower was worried that the couple's wedding might become a spectacle similar to what had happened in 1966 when the broadcast of a baseball game was canceled to cover the wedding of President Lyndon Johnson's daughter Luci. He said, "As a baseball fan, I felt disoriented enough on that Saturday to have it pass through my mind, 'Geez, I'm glad I'm not causing this.'"
Both Eisenhowers have sought a life away from the limelight ever since. They declined opportunities to run for public office. "Whenever push came to shove, we always thought about the children," Julie Eisenhower said, referring to their three children, now adults. "Both of us having been brought up in such public families, we just really wanted something different for our children."
Following their wedding, the couple sought to live as anonymous a life as their lineage would permit, residing in suburban Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. Julie has written several books, including Pat Nixon: The Untold Story. David is director of the Institute for Public Service at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. His first book about his grandfather, Eisenhower at War, 1943-1945, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1987. The couple worked together to co-author Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life With Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969. The book is an intimate remembrance of Ike and his wife, Mamie, as they retired to their farm in Gettysburg, Pa., where David's father, John, lived with his family. David was named after his grandfather (his full name is Dwight David Eisenhower II), and his grandfather named the presidential retreat Camp David after his grandson.
In the book, David relates the story of how, as his wedding grew closer, his grandfather tried to give the groom a grooming order. "Granddad offered me one hundred dollars if I would cut my mop of curly hair into a neat military style. Just before the wedding, I got a light trim. It wasn't enough for Granddad, and he didn't pay."
Julie Eisenhower went on to be one of the most visible supporters of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal and his 1974 resignation. She said of her father's legacy, "When all the histories are written, the Watergate chapter will definitely be there, this is part of the history, but he will be looked at for some momentous things that happened in a very eventful presidency."
The Eisenhowers became parents of three children, Jennie, Alex, and Melanie, 26. Alex's daughter, Kaia, is their only grandchild. Jennie is an actress based in Philadelphia and Melanie is a child-life specialist who works in a hospital in New York City.
The nuptials took place in a church in New York City church, decorated with red and white poinsettias. The couple had met at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, California, in 1956 while the groom's grandfather was campaigning for re-election. They were both eight years old at the time. The shared the unique experience of growing up in the spotlight of national politics. The couple began dating in 1967, when they were both 19. Their romance was akin to American royalty, and the two presented an image of a wholesome, all-American couple, at a time when the culture of the nation was in flux and traditional family and relationship roles were undergoing changes. The President-Elect called his daughter and her fiance “front-line troops in the battle to reestablish…traditional virtues” during his 1968 presidential campaign as it became harder for the young couple to keep their personal life private.
But private is just what the young couple wanted to keep their wedding ceremony. The bride was interviewed by telephone from her future home in Berwyn Pennsylvania by a correspondent for the AARP Bulletin and she said, "Whether my father won or lost, we had no desire to be married in the White House. We were not interested in being minor celebrities or in the hoopla." David Eisenhower was worried that the couple's wedding might become a spectacle similar to what had happened in 1966 when the broadcast of a baseball game was canceled to cover the wedding of President Lyndon Johnson's daughter Luci. He said, "As a baseball fan, I felt disoriented enough on that Saturday to have it pass through my mind, 'Geez, I'm glad I'm not causing this.'"
Both Eisenhowers have sought a life away from the limelight ever since. They declined opportunities to run for public office. "Whenever push came to shove, we always thought about the children," Julie Eisenhower said, referring to their three children, now adults. "Both of us having been brought up in such public families, we just really wanted something different for our children."
Following their wedding, the couple sought to live as anonymous a life as their lineage would permit, residing in suburban Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. Julie has written several books, including Pat Nixon: The Untold Story. David is director of the Institute for Public Service at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. His first book about his grandfather, Eisenhower at War, 1943-1945, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1987. The couple worked together to co-author Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life With Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969. The book is an intimate remembrance of Ike and his wife, Mamie, as they retired to their farm in Gettysburg, Pa., where David's father, John, lived with his family. David was named after his grandfather (his full name is Dwight David Eisenhower II), and his grandfather named the presidential retreat Camp David after his grandson.
In the book, David relates the story of how, as his wedding grew closer, his grandfather tried to give the groom a grooming order. "Granddad offered me one hundred dollars if I would cut my mop of curly hair into a neat military style. Just before the wedding, I got a light trim. It wasn't enough for Granddad, and he didn't pay."
Julie Eisenhower went on to be one of the most visible supporters of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal and his 1974 resignation. She said of her father's legacy, "When all the histories are written, the Watergate chapter will definitely be there, this is part of the history, but he will be looked at for some momentous things that happened in a very eventful presidency."
The Eisenhowers became parents of three children, Jennie, Alex, and Melanie, 26. Alex's daughter, Kaia, is their only grandchild. Jennie is an actress based in Philadelphia and Melanie is a child-life specialist who works in a hospital in New York City.