I couldn’t think of another jacket named after a President. So after a long day split between watching the warm Carolina sun toast two of my three kids and improving my yard with two new hydrangeas planted at the side of the house. I escaped down the rabbit hole of history to do some unraveling on the origins of the Eisenhower Jacket.

My history lessons in school traveled about as far as most of the other formal schooling I received. About 5 inches. Typically in the left ear and out the right, and occasionally vice versa. I wasn’t sure when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of States, or why he was called “Ike”. The Ike part we’ll keep for another history lesson, but Dwight D. was President for two terms from 1953-1961. But from what I can find out, the Eisenhower jacket was born during his time as a 5 star general in the Army during which he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces and led the successful invasion of France and Germany.

The origins of the Eisenhower jacket start with the M-41, or “Parson’s” jacket named after Major General J.K. Parsons. However during WWII the M-41 did not work in the many theaters and many different environments of war. The M-41 could not take a soldier comfortably from the deserts of North Africa to the cold of Northern Europe. So to compensate the Army redesigned the jacket and introduced the idea of layering.

Here is an excerpt on the history of the Eisenhower jacket from Wikipedia.

By mid-1944, the Army finalized the several layering components of its multi-environment combat uniform, anointing the M-43 Field Jacket its basic, universal building block. A dramatically revised version of the M-41, the M-43 touted a wind-proof, olive drab colored cotton poplin outer shell with internal layers that could be added or eliminated depending on local battle conditions. In cold environs, its notched lapels converted to a stand-up, storm-flap for added neck protections. A pile jacket liner and fur-edged hood could also be added.

During the Autumn of 1943, the Army Air Corps prototype jacket was sent to Chief Quartermaster of the European Theater of Operations for review and possible adoption by ETO commanding general, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower had already requested a waist-cropped style; his based on the British battle jacket, “but with more distinctive style.” Eisenhower was a partisan advocate of the British jacket’s functional sensibilities.

The Eisenhower jacket may have been designed by William Marler, a tailor from New York.

Designed to be the second, insulated layer, the Ike jacket, a.k.a. M-44, was created to be worn underneath the M-43. In extreme cold, a sweater, flannel shirt, and wool-cotton T-shirt could be worn under the Eisenhower jacket.

In November, 1944, the M-44, or Ike jacket, was classified standard issued. The Ike jacket featured a roomy, bloused back with action pleats and oversized sleeves, its fit large and loose to accommodate the several added insulating underlays without compromising either comfort or freedom of movement.

Immediately after its issue the Eisenhower jacket was assigned double-duty. Besides being a combat field jacket it was also appointed the Army’s dress and parade uniform.

Whether the standard issue, M-44 Field Jacket or its sveltely re-tailored, Ike jacket sibling, their shared common denominators are an olive drab, 18-ounce wool serge. Once turned up and buttoned over, its notched lapels became a convertible, “storm collar” that protected the neck and throat in chilly environs. Staggered cuffs buttons created adjustable cuffs that could be relaxed or cinched tight at the wrist.

To prevent equipment from catching on its buttons, a “fly front” flap concealed its button front, a shrewd design ploy that also prevented snagging in dense underbrush, whether walking or crawling. For the same reason, its flapped, bellows breast pockets touted hidden buttons.
From this I take two things. First the Army was brilliant in coming up with the layering principal and implementing it across the fields of battle, and second I’m glad I’m living today in a world free of t-shirts made from cotton and wool.

The Eisenhower jacket made its way to many modern brands, including Levi’s and of course Dickies. The poplin outer shell, fly front flap and waist-cropped style of the Eisenhower jacket by Dickies is still living today, and I wouldn’t be the owner of a retail outlet on the web if I didn’t say that you need to check ours out here.

~ Piedmont Red Clothing

We thought it fitting that with our first blog post of our new company that we would tell the history of the 90 year old Dickies brand that we will be carrying. Along with pictures of the venerable E.E. Dickie and C.N. Williamson the founders of what is formally known as Williamson-Dickie manufacturing. We hope to be around for 90 years from now if we are only so lucky. This excerpt is courtesy of the Williamson-Dickie MGF. CO.

C.N. Williamson and E.E. “Colonel” Dickie began their business careers in the “vehicle and harness” business in Bryan, Texas. In 1918, they made what turned out to be a momentous decision when they and a few friends established the U.S. Overall Company. Then, in 1922, C. Don Williamson joined with his father and cousin to buy 100% of the overall company on a one-third-each basis and renamed it Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company.

From its early years, Williamson-Dickie enjoyed steady growth, slowed only by the Great Depression, and during World War II, the company was sequestered to produce millions of uniforms for the nation’s armed forces. In converting to civilian production after the war, C. Don Williamson began a strategy of geographical expansion and established new production facilities, warehouses, and sales territories throughout the United States. In the late 1950′s, Williamson-Dickie became an international company by expanding into the European market and the Middle Eastern market – where Texas oilmen introduced the Dickies brand to Middle Eastern oil fields.

So there you have it, in about 100 words that cover 90 years. We will continue to post as long as folks continue to read, and we’ll add the history of more brands as things move along.

Here are some additional pictures from the history of Williamson-Dickie MFG.

~ Todd Trimakas
Founder PiedmontRed.com