His two terms saw widespread economic prosperity except for a minor recession in 1958. In his farewell address to the nation, he expressed his concerns about the dangers of massive military spending, particularly deficit spending and government contracts to private military manufacturers, which he dubbed 'the military–industrial complex'. Historical evaluations of his presidency place him among the upper tier of American presidents. == Legacy and memory == Dwight David Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas, the third of seven sons. His mother originally named him David Dwight but reversed the two names after his birth to avoid the confusion of having two Davids in the family. His mother originally named him David Dwight but reversed the two names after his birth to avoid the confusion of having two Davids in the family. All of the boys were called 'Ike', such as 'Big Ike' (Edgar) and 'Little Ike' (Dwight); the nickname was intended as an abbreviation of their last name.