Richard Nixon

Background

Richard Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, on his parents’ lemon ranch estate in Yorba Linda, California, and grew up in nearby Whittier. He was the second child among his brothers, and was born to Hannah Milhous Nixon and Francis A. Nixon. Due to his family’s financial constraints, he had to renounce his scholarship to attend Whittier College before joining a local law practice. In the United States, Nixon was commissioned as a naval officer. He was assigned to a fighter station in the South Pacific, first in Bougainville, then to Green Island. He also learned to play poker, which quickly became a favorite activity of his while serving in the military. Republican leaders in Whittier persuaded Nixon to seek a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

Nixon was honorably retired from the U.S. Navy with the title of lieutenant commander. He ousted five-term veteran Democratic Congressman Jerry Voorhis in the election to represent California’s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. General Eisenhower was elected President of the United States, where Nixon also served as Vice President. Nixon was voted in as the 37th President of the United States in 1968. His foreign policy sought to decrease international tensions by building new relationships with former adversaries. He began restoring diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, implemented a détente strategy with the Soviet Union, and pushed for domestic measures such as creating the Environmental Protection Agency and peacefully desegregating public schools in the South.

Members of Nixon’s administration paid individuals in 1972 to take files from Democratic Party offices at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., with the hope of discovering secrets that would help Nixon win re-election that year. Although the intruders were apprehended, the inquiry did not progress swiftly enough to prevent Nixon’s re-election in 1972. For a further two years, Nixon and others attempted to conceal their involvement, but with the Supreme Court intervening, Nixon was compelled to produce secret audio tapes he had recorded of his White House talks, which established Nixon’s culpability. He resigned from office in 1974. If he hadn’t, the House of Representatives would have undoubtedly impeached him — or officially accused him of malfeasance in office. Nixon relocated to New York City after leaving the White House, where he remained for the next 20 years. He eventually attempted to regain people’s trust by authoring books about government and politics. In the end, he was known more for his presidential power abuses than for his accomplishments. Nixon died on April 22, 1994, in New York City and was buried on April 27, 1994, in Yorba Linda, California.