The Electrifying Presidency of Ike Eisenhower: A Historical Look at Early EV Adoption in the White House

Could Eisenhower be considered the pioneer electric-car president? He had a fondness for them

It appears that a few past presidents have taken the wheel of electric vehicles, and not all of them served in modern times.

The 34th leader of the United States, affectionately known as "Ike," Eisenhower, was potentially a pioneer in his day. Prior to gaining fame as a prominent general of the 20th century, Eisenhower was often seen behind the wheel of an electric vehicle owned by his spouse's parents.

The vehicle—a 1914 Rauch & Lang electric model—was the property of Eisenhower's in-laws, John Sheldon and Elvira Doud. Promotional materials boasted it as America's initial electric vehicle featuring a top-positioned worm drive, offering the unique capability to operate it from either the front or rear seat. When it reached its maximum velocity of 13 miles per hour, the car could cover a distance of up to 100 miles, based on the information provided when the car was donated in 1953.

In 1915, Ike got acquainted with Mamie, who would later become his daughter-in-law, and proposed to her on February 14 of the following year. After a romantic courtship, they tied the knot on the first of July in 1916. Ike frequently used the car before it became an exhibit at his own museum.

The affluent Doud family, who brought up Mamie in Colorado, purchased the automobile for a sum of $4,300 back in 1914. In today's money, that amount would surpass $135,000—a figure significantly higher than the cost of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 sedan, for instance.

A 1914 model of the Rauch & Lang electric vehicle and former U.S. President

The Eisenhowers, who were recently married, occasionally took the car for a spin but opted to purchase a second-hand black Pullman roadster prior to their relocation to Washington, D.C. The manufacturer of the vehicle ceased operations in 1917, shortly outlasting Ike and Mamie's own car that frequently malfunctioned on the military duo.

For the following years, the Eisenhowers continued to use gasoline-fueled vehicles. As a young bride in Washington D.C., Mamie was often behind the wheel, navigating through busy streets where trams and vehicles such as the Model T vied for space. Reflecting on those times in an oral history recorded in the year she passed away, she remembered, "Whenever I would drive Ike to his workplace in the mornings, we would encounter what was referred to at that time as a significant traffic issue, which is negligible when compared to the present-day traffic conditions."

Throughout their ownership history, the majority of vehicles they possessed were from Chrysler, with the exception beginning when they transported a Model T to Panama in 1922 for military service. Their personal collection included a 1948 Chrysler Crown Imperial followed by models from 1950 and 1952. However, during Eisenhower's presidential term from 1953 to 1961, with Mamie as the First Lady, they utilized cars from the White House Motor Pool. While a large number of these vehicles were Chryslers, the President also made use of Cadillacs and was frequently seen in a 1950 "Bubbletop" Lincoln during various processions.

Throughout Eisenhower's presidency, his grandkids enjoyed zooming through the corridors of the White House's main level in a small electric vehicle, taking advantage of the empty halls once visitors had left for the evening.

Upon retirement, they acquired a pair of Chryslers that were previously part of the White House's collection of vehicles, complementing the assortment of agricultural machinery they operated on their property close to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Electric automobile from Rauch-Lang, circa 1914.

Could Eisenhower be responsible for the decline of short-range electric vehicles?

Decades before the advent of modern electric vehicles, President Eisenhower's tenure had lasting repercussions on the current state of the EV industry. In his 1954 State of the Union, he introduced the idea of an interstate highway system, and to fund it, he recommended maintaining a gasoline tax. Two years later, he enacted the Federal-Aid Highway Act. In the post-World War II era, an era marked by governmental expansion and national prosperity, Eisenhower managed to persuade legislators to allocate a staggering $50 billion for initiating the expansion of a comprehensive network of highways throughout the nation.

President Eisenhower is credited with launching the contemporary network of Interstate highways. This initiative, which transformed country trails into sophisticated state routes and eventually into highways, was already underway for over fifty years. However, Eisenhower's substantial investment in infrastructure possibly signaled the end for electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. As new roads enabled travel across vast distances and the dismantling of streetcar networks occurred, the proliferation of gas stations probably eliminated the possibility of developing a framework tailored for more limited journeys.

Eisenhower passed away in 1969, years prior to his second-in-command, Richard Nixon, establishing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a new law. Mamie passed on in 1972. The push for electric vehicles to receive more substantial government funding, along with the associated political debates, didn't gain traction until George W. Bush's term in office.

Ike's impact on the development of effective transportation systems is a multifaceted aspect of history. During his era, it was possible for a President to be fiercely patriotic while also being an advocate for electric vehicles.

Images provided by the Eisenhower Presidential Library.

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