President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower Tells a Major Supporter That His Contribution Helped Enable Ike to Bring His “Crusade” to the American People

“Since November 4th my thoughts have turned often to those whose faith and support – and financial contributions – helped to make victory possible. In the task of bringing the message of our Crusade to all of our follow Americans, we would have failed without their much-needed help.”

The 1952 United States presidential election was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1952. Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won a landslide victory over Illinois Democratic Governor Adlai Stevenson, becoming the first Republican president in 20 years. This was the first election since 1928 without an incumbent president on the ballot. Eisenhower was re-elected in 1956 in a rematch with Stevenson.

The 1952 presidential election campaign was conducted against the backdrop of a “red scare” in which many Americans feared that foreign communist agents were attempting to infiltrate the government. Two years earlier Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, who held that the Roosevelt and Truman administrations amounted to “20 years of treason,” claimed that he had a list of State Department employees who were loyal only to the Soviet Union. Though McCarthy offered no evidence to support his charges and revealed only a single name, he won a large personal following. The Red Scare, the stalemated Korean War, and a renewal of inflation handicapped Stevenson, who fought a vigorous campaign.

Eisenhower campaigned tirelessly, impressing millions with his warmth and sincerity. His wide, friendly grin, wartime heroics, and middle-class pastimes—he was an avid golfer endeared him to the public and garnered him vast support. On the eve of the election there was a general opinion that the presidential race was close. The final tally, however, was anything but. Eisenhower won by more than six million votes, capturing 39 states and 442 electoral votes to Stevenson’s 9 states and 89 electoral votes. The election was considered a great personal triumph for Eisenhower.

In the wake of the election Eisenhower thanked his major contributors for their financial support, which had enabled him to bring his message to the American people.

Typed letter signed, on his letterhead, New York, January 14, 1953, to Hugh Moore, president of the Dixie Cup Company and a supporter of his. “Dear Mr. Moore: To the thanks you have undoubtedly already received for your generous contribution during the campaign, I wish to add my own.

“Since November 4th my thoughts have turned often to those whose faith and support – and financial contributions – helped to make victory possible. In the task of bringing the message of our Crusade to all of our fellow Americans, we would have failed without their much-needed help. That is why I am particularly glad of this opportunity to express my gratitude to you, and to ask for your continued support.”

It is interesting that Eisenhower saw his election as a crusade and his views as carrying a message.