Richard Nixon

President of the United States

Richard Milhous Nixon January 9, 1913 Yorba Linda, California, U.S.

April 22, 1994(1994-04-22) (81) New York City , U.S.

January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974

37th president of the United States (1969–74) "Nixon" redirects here. For other uses, see Nixon (disambiguation) and Richard Nixon (disambiguation). Richard Nixon37th President of the United StatesIn office January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974Vice President Spiro Agnew (1969–1973) None (Oct–Dec 1973) Gerald Ford (1973–1974) Preceded by Lyndon B. JohnsonSucceeded by Gerald Ford36th Vice President of the United StatesIn office January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961PresidentDwight D. EisenhowerPreceded by Alben W. BarkleySucceeded by Lyndon B. JohnsonUnited States Senator from CaliforniaIn office December 1, 1950 – January 1, 1953Preceded by Sheridan DowneySucceeded by Thomas KuchelMember of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 12th districtIn office January 3, 1947 – November 30, 1950Preceded by Jerry VoorhisSucceeded by Patrick J. Hillings Personal detailsBornRichard Milhous Nixon (1913-01-09 ) January 9, 1913 Yorba Linda, California, U.S.DiedApril 22, 1994(1994-04-22) (aged 81) New York City , U.S.Resting placeRichard Nixon Presidential Library and MuseumPolitical partyRepublicanSpouse(s)Pat Ryan ​ ​(m. 1940 ; died 1993 )​Children Tricia Julie Parents Francis A. Nixon Hannah Milhous Education Whittier College (BA) Duke University (JD) OccupationLawyerauthorpoliticianSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiance  United StatesBranch/service  United States NavyYears of service 1942–1946 (active) 1946–1966 (inactive) Rank CommanderBattles/wars World War II South Pacific Theater AwardsFull list This article is part of a series about Richard Nixon Birthplace Electoral history 36th Vice President of the United States Eisenhower administration 1st inauguration 2nd inauguration Motorcade attack Kitchen Debate Post-vice presidency 1962 gubernatorial bid "Last press conference" 37th President of the United States Presidency Timeline Transition Inaugurations first second Judicial appointments Appointed federal judges Supreme Court candidates Appointment controversies Policies Economic Nixon shock Foreign Nixon Doctrine Vietnamization Environmental EPA Clean Water NOAA Legacy of Parks Cannabis war on drugs Native American First term End of the draft Visit to China Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty War on cancer Philadelphia Plan Minority Business Enterprise OSHA Apollo program Second term Paris Peace Accords decent interval Yom Kippur War airlift Mideast Peace Process Marine Mammal Protection Act Endangered Species Act Impeachment process Watergate scandal timeline Tapes United States v. Nixon Resignation speech Pardon Post-presidency Nixon interviews Foundation Presidential Library and Museum Center for the National Interest Bibliography Six Crises State funeral Presidential campaigns 1960 election primaries convention debates 1968 election primaries convention "Bring Us Together" 1972 election primaries convention vte Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, Nixon previously served as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, having risen to national prominence as a representative and senator from California. After five years in the White House that saw the conclusion to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, he became the only president to resign from the office, following the Watergate scandal. Nixon was born into a poor family of Quakers in a small town in Southern California. He graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife Pat moved to Washington in 1942 to work for the federal government. He served on active duty in the Naval Reserves during World War II. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-Communist which elevated him to national prominence. In 1950, he was elected to the Senate. He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party's presidential nominee in the 1952 election, subsequently serving for eight years as the vice president. He unsuccessfully ran for president in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy. Nixon then lost a race for governor of California to Pat Brown in 1962. In 1968, he ran for the presidency again and was elected, defeating Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace in a close election. Nixon ended American involvement in Vietnam in 1973, ending the military draft that same year. Nixon's visit to China in 1972 eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he gained the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year. His administration generally transferred power from federal control to state control. He imposed wage and price controls for 90 days, enforced desegregation of Southern schools, established the Environmental Protection Agency, and began the War on Cancer. He also presided over the Apollo 11 Moon landing, which signaled the end of the Space Race. He was re-elected in one of the largest electoral landslides in American history in 1972 when he defeated George McGovern. In his second term, Nixon ordered an airlift to resupply Israeli losses in the Yom Kippur War, a war which led to the oil crisis at home. By late 1973, Watergate escalated, costing Nixon much of his political support. On August 9, 1974, facing almost certain impeachment and removal from office, he became the first American president to resign. Afterwards, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. In 20 years of retirement, Nixon wrote his memoirs and nine other books and undertook many foreign trips, rehabilitating his image into that of an elder statesman and leading expert on foreign affairs. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at age 81. Surveys of historians and political scientists have ranked Nixon as a below-average president. However, evaluations of him have proven complex, with his successes as president contrasted against the circumstances of his departure from office.