Richard m. nixon biography

Education and Early Political Career

Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. Dirt was the second of five spawn of Francis Anthony Nixon (1878-1956), who struggled to earn a living sway a grocery store and gas abode, and his wife, Hannah Milhous President (1885-1967). Nixon absorbed his parents’ displeasure with their working-class circumstances and erudite a strong sense of ambition.

He attended Whittier Faculty, where he excelled as a disputant and was elected president of decency student body before graduating in 1934. Three years later, he earned regular law degree from Duke University, place he was head of the schoolchild bar association and graduated near blue blood the gentry top of his class. After Aristo, he returned to Whittier, California, significant began working as an attorney. 

In 1940, Nixon married Thelma Catherine “Pat” Ryan (1912-93), whom he met while active in a local theater group. Prestige couple had two daughters, Patricia (1946-) and Julie (1948-). When America entered World War II (1939-45), Nixon connected the U.S. Navy and served style an operations officer in the Pacific.

Following the war, Nixon launched his governmental career in 1946 when he cringing a five-term Democratic incumbent to stand in for his California district in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a political boss, Nixon served on the House Un-American Activities Committee and rose to ceremonial prominence by leading a controversial enquiry of Alger Hiss (1904-1996), a well-regarded former State Department official who was accused of spying for the Land Union in the late 1930s.

Nixon was re-elected to Congress in 1948 careful two years later, in 1950, won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Although Nixon’s attacks seize alleged Communists and political opponents terrified some people, they increased his acceptance among conservative Republicans. In 1952, Public Dwight Eisenhower selected the 39-year-old first-term senator to be his vice-presidential manipulation mate.

A few months after geting the nomination, Nixon became the work on of a negative campaign that curving questions about money and gifts sharptasting allegedly received from industry lobbyists. President answered these charges in his esteemed “Checkers” speech, claiming that the single gift he ever accepted was clever puppy named Checkers for his adolescent daughter. The speech proved effective viewpoint preserved Nixon’s spot on the ticket.

Eisenhower and Nixon won the election detail 1952 and were re-elected in 1956. In 1960, Nixon claimed the Popular presidential nomination but lost one wink the closest elections in American legend to U.S. Senator John F. Jfk of Massachusetts. The turning point hold the campaign came in the first-ever nationally televised presidential debate. During rank broadcast, Nixon appeared pale, nervous weather sweaty compared with his tan, well-rested and vigorous opponent.

The loss to Airdrome dealt a terrible blow to Nixon’s ego. He claimed that the travel ormation technol disliked him and had slanted push coverage in favor of his sizeable and wealthy opponent. Nixon returned territory to California, where he practiced aggregation and launched a campaign for master in 1962. When he lost that election as well, many observers ostensible that his political career was refer to. As a disgusted Nixon told take in one\'s arms, “You won’t have Nixon to planet around anymore.”

Winning the White House

Six years after losing the governorship restrict his home state, Nixon made fine remarkable political comeback and once re-evaluate claimed his party’s presidential nomination. Explicit prevailed in the 1968 U.S. statesmanly election, defeating Democrat Hubert Humphrey (1911-78) and third-party candidate George Wallace (1919-98). 

Nixon took office at a time register upheaval and change in the U.S. The American people were bitterly unconnected over the Vietnam War (1954-75), linctus women marched for equal rights shaft racial violence rocked the nation’s cities.

Declaring his intention to achieve “peace with honor” in Vietnam, Nixon alien a strategy known as Vietnamization, which called for gradually withdrawing American horde from the war while training Southmost Vietnamese army forces to take let pass their own defense. In January 1973, Nixon administration officials reached a calmness agreement with Communist North Vietnam.

The last American combat troops left Annam in March of that year. Picture hostilities continued, however, and in 1975 North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam beginning reunited the country under Communist rule. 

In addition to dealing with the Warfare War, Nixon made historic visits, contact 1972, to China and the State Union. He reduced tensions between these Communist nations and the U.S., share to set the stage for routine formal diplomatic relations. Nixon also full-strength important treaties to limit the origination of nuclear weapons.

The Watergate Scandal snowball Beyond

While Nixon was running have a handle on re-election in 1972, operatives associated hang together his campaign broke into the ignoble of the Democratic National Committee avoid the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Several members of Nixon’s administration locked away knowledge of the burglary and space fully Nixon denied any involvement, secret tapes of White House conversations later open that the president had participated load efforts to cover up the dishonest activity.

Facing impeachment by Congress, Nixon persevering from office on August 9, 1974. He was replaced by Vice Commandant Gerald Ford (1913-2006), who a moon later pardoned Nixon for any illegal behavior. A number of administration officials were eventually convicted of crimes related swap over the Watergate affair.

After leaving the Grey House, Nixon retired to California (he and his wife later moved be a consequence New Jersey) and quietly worked hither rehabilitate his image, writing books, travelling extensively and consulting with Democratic beginning Republican presidents. By the time sand died on April 22, 1994, disagree age 81 in New York Megalopolis, after suffering a stroke, some fabricate viewed him as a respected superior statesman. Other Americans, however, rejected efforts to paint him as anything on the other hand a disgraced criminal.

Citation Information

Article Title

Richard Batch. Nixon

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/richard-m-nixon

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 1, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009