1913 - 1994
Richard Nixon
In any organization, the man at the top must bear the responsibility. That responsibility, therefore, belongs here, in this office. I accept it. Address to the Nation about the Watergate Investigations
Overview
Schoolchildren absorb at least one fact about Richard Milhous Nixon: He was the first and (so far) the only President of the United States to resign the office. Before the spectacular fall, there was an equally spectacular rise. In a half-dozen years, he went from obscurity to a heartbeat from the presidency, winning a congressional race (1946), national prominence in the Alger Hiss spy case (1948), a Senate seat (1950), and the vice presidency (1952). John F. Kennedy interrupted Nixon's ascent in 1960, winning the presidency by the narrowest margin of the twentieth century.
Fast Facts
Richard Milhous Nixon
Yorba Linda, California
Whittier College (1934); Duke University Law School (1937)
Society of Friends (Quaker)
Lawyer, Public Official
Republican
None
June 21, 1940, to Thelma “Patricia” Catherine Ryan (1912–1993)
Patricia (1946– ); Julie (1948– )
37
Yorba Linda, California
Featured Insights
Secret White House Tapes
Featured Video
2012-04-30
Watergate in Nixonland
The challenge of presenting public history in a presidential library