The Eisenhower dollar is a $1

Dollar

The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...

 coin issued by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 government from 1971–1978 (not to be confused with the Eisenhower commemorative dollar

Eisenhower commemorative dollar

The Eisenhower Commemorative Dollar is a United States commemorative coin minted in 1990 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of General/President Dwight D. Eisenhower...

 of 1990, or the Presidential $1 Coin Program, which will feature Eisenhower in 2015). The Eisenhower dollar followed the Peace dollar

Peace Dollar

The Peace dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1921 to 1928, and again in 1934 and 1935. Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the coin was the result of a competition to find designs emblematic of peace. Its reverse depicts an eagle at rest clutching an olive branch, with the legend...

 and is named for General of the Army

General of the Army (United States)

General of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...

 and President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Dwight David Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

, who appears on the obverse. Both the obverse and the reverse of the coin were designed by Frank Gasparro

Frank Gasparro

Frank Gasparro was the tenth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, holding this position from February 23, 1965 to January 16, 1981. Before that, he was Assistant Engraver. He designed both sides of the Susan B...

.

The Eisenhower dollar was the last dollar coin to contain a proportional amount of base metal

Base metal

In chemistry, the term base metal is used informally to refer to a metal that oxidizes or corrodes relatively easily, and reacts variably with diluted hydrochloric acid to form hydrogen. Examples include iron, nickel, lead and zinc...

 to lower denominations; it has the same amount of copper-nickel as two Kennedy half dollar

Kennedy half dollar

Within hours of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, Mint Director Eva Adams called Chief Engraver Gilroy Roberts, informing him that serious consideration was being given to depicting Kennedy on one of the larger silver coins: either the silver dollar, half dollar, or...

s, four Washington quarters, or ten Roosevelt dimes.