Who Was The First U.S. President To Preside Over All 50 States?

The answer to the question is Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the 34th president of the United States (1953-1961). As of August 2015, the date of his inauguration is the earliest that all 50 states were a part of the union.

President Eisenhower was born in Texas on October 14, 1890, and attended the US Military Academy at West Point. After on-the-ground service in both World War I and II, he climbed through the ranks to become a five-star general. His success in WWII helped him leverage a successful career in politics, and he was elected as the President of the United States in November 1952.

Eisenhower was a significant presence in the Cold War and oversaw various international crises. He was also responsible for the expansion of the United States materially and symbolically. Iowa and New Mexico were welcomed into the Union during the Eisenhower presidency, so that when he was inaugurated in January 1953, the United States was already a nation of 50 states.

Under Eisenhower’s administration, the United States began to pursue a “containment policy” to limit the expansion of Communism. As a result, not only was the Cold War overshadowed and fought on ideological grounds, but Eisenhower also contributed to the completion of the interstate highway system, government investment in science and technology, and launched alliances with countries in the Middle East and Europe.

President Eisenhower was successful in creating a sense of stability within the United States and abroad. His policies contributed to the peaceful coexistence between the U.S. and the Soviets. Decades after the success of the Eisenhower presidency, President Obama reflected on the legacy of the president, saying “the America that Dwight Eisenhower helped build still stands as a beacon of progress and a symbol of liberty around the world.”