Who is Richard Nixon?
Richard Nixon is the thirty-seventh President of the United States. Nixon served from 1969 to 1974, after Lyndon Johnson and before Gerald Ford. Nixon also served as the Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower. Richard Nixon was at the center of the infamous Watergate Scandal, which resulted in his resignation.
Born Richard Milhous Nixon on 9 January, 1913 in California, Nixon was one of five brothers. Richard Nixon graduated from Whittier High School and attended Whittier College and later Duke University School of Law, where he graduated third in his class. He served as a reserve officer in the Navy during World War II. Richard Nixon married Thelma Pat Ryan in 1940 and they had two children.
Richard Nixon began his political career in 1946 as a United States House of Representative serving California’s 12th district. He served two terms in Congress and was elected to the United States Senate in 1950. His political reputation was growing and he was given the standing nickname of “Tricky Dick.” In 1952, at the age of 39, Richard Nixon was elected Vice President on Dwight Eisenhower’s ticket.
In 1960, Richard Nixon campaigned for President against John F. Kennedy. Though he was narrowly defeated, his campaign was unsuccessful. Richard Nixon also lost the California gubernatorial race in 1962, but would make an amazing political comeback in the Presidential election of 1968. Nixon’s presidency was praised for ending US involvement in the Vietnam War. In domestic policies, Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Another milestone of Richard Nixon’s presidency included the historical radio address during the Apollo 11 moonwalk in 1969.
In 1972, Richard Nixon was re-elected President of the United States in a landslide defeat of George McGovern. However, Nixon’s second term would be cut short because of the Watergate Scandal, a series of events in which corruption and illegal activities within the Nixon administration were uncovered. As an impeachment hearing was scheduled to begin, Richard Nixon resigned as President in August of 1974 and his Vice-President, Gerald Ford, took office. Ford pardoned Nixon for any federal crimes he may have committed.
Richard Nixon’s political career had been tarnished and he avoided the public eye, however, he served as a consultant to both parties on foreign affairs for several years after his resignation. He wrote several books in his post-presidency years, including his memoir. Richard Nixon died of complications from a stroke on 22 April, 1994 at 81 years of age. Nixon is buried beside his wife at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California.
Written by J. Beam
