Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California. He became the 37th US president in 1969. He was a lawyer by trade and a Republication by political affiliation. He served as a US representative from 1947 to 1951, Senator from 1951-1953 and vice president under Dwight Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. His presidency began in 1969 and ended in 1974.

In 1960 Nixon ran against John F. Kennedy and lost. He returned to California where he lost a bid for the governorship. In 1968 Nixon defeated Hubert H. Humphrey and won again in 1972. Nixon had an aggressive foreign policy and found great success in opening China up to US diplomacy. Nixon initiated d?tente and the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union. Nixon believed in states' rights, enforced desegregation of Southern school and implemented environmental reforms. He replaced manned space programs with shuttle missions. He did have a weak economic policy and domestic dissent over the Vietnam War cause consternation in his administration.

Nixon's preoccupation with winning led to the Watergate scandal and his claim to fame as the only US President to resign his office. Nixon's cronies bugged and burglared the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. The "burglars" were caught and Nixon's voice was heard on tape recordings ordering the break-ins. He resigned in shame and was replaced by Gerald Ford. Ford granted Nixon a presidential pardon.

After his resignation Nixon authored nine books and attempted to rehabilitate his public image. He suffered a stroke on April 18, 1994. He died four days later. Nixon was 81.

Nixon married Patricia Ryan in 1950 and they had two daughters, Tricia and Julie. An iconic photo of Nixon and pop icon Elvis Presley resides in the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. Nixon's famous last words were," I am not a crook" at a news conference in Orlando, Florida.