Richard nixon president biography projects
Richard Nixon: Life Before the Presidency
While courting common voters, Nixon made the most of his common origins; biographers, both sympathetic and critical, have tended to follow suit. He was born in one small California town (Yorba Linda) and grew up in another (East Whittier). His parents were in some ways opposites—Frank Nixon was as argumentative as Hannah Nixon was sweet-tempered. Richard Nixon suffered two great personal losses as a young man: the deaths of his younger brother Arthur after a short illness and his older brother Harold after a long one.
His school life brought a string of successes in endeavors common to politicians in training. He won debates and elections and leading roles in school dramatic productions. His grades were excellent, at both Whittier College and Duke University's law school. His scholastic achievements were not enough, however, to get him the jobs he applied for with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and with several prestigious law firms.
Nixon ended up in California, joining a Whittier law firm, the Whittier College board of trustees, and the Whittier Community Players. He fell romantically for a fellow cast member, Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan; they wed in 1940. Opportunities for work led Nixon back east, as a law professor's recommendation got Nixon a job with the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D.C. Following Pearl Harbor, Nixon enlisted in the Navy. His naval career ended with the war and in 1945 he was looking for his next job just as a group of prominent Southern California Republicans were looking for a suitable congressional candidate.
The Denigrative Method
As a campaigner, Nixon mastered early what historian Garry Wills called "The Denigrative Method" and what later analysts called "negative campaigning." Simply put, he attacked his opponents—sometimes unscrupulously, always effectively. His first campaign set the pattern.
His opponent was Jerry Voorhis, a New Dealer elected five times by
President Nixon
The Life
Born on January 9, 1913, on his parents' citrus farm in Yorba, Linda, California, Richard Milhous Nixon's life spanned eight decades. Follow the links below to learn more about the events in Nixon's life.
Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, on the citrus farm of his parents, Francis Anthony Nixon (1878-1956) and Hannah Milhous Nixon (1885-1967), in a house his father built in Yorba Linda, California. Richard was the second of five brothers: Harold (1909-1933), Donald (1914-1987), Arthur (1918-1925), and Edward (1930-2019).
His early life was marked by financial hardship and by the deaths of his brothers Harold and Arthur. In 1922, after the failure of the Nixons' ranch (today the site of the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum), the family moved to be nearer Hannah's relatives in Whittier, California. There, Frank Nixon opened a combination grocery store and gas station in which the entire Nixon family worked in order to make ends meet.
Richard Nixon enrolled at Whittier College in September 1930. He was an active student, pursuing his interests in student government, drama, and football while living at home and helping to run the family's store. Nixon won a scholarship to attend Duke University School of Law in May 1934, where he was president of the Student Bar Association and a member of the law review. He graduated in June 1937.
Nixon returned to Whittier and joined the law firm Wingert and Bewley. On January 16, 1938, he met a schoolteacher named Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan at a rehearsal for a community play in which they were both acting. Smitten, Nixon pursued Ryan. They were married on June 21, 1940, in the Presidential Suite of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, and honeymooned in Mexico.
In January 1942, the Nixons moved to Washington, D.C., where Nixon joined the Office of Price Administration. On June 15, 1942, he accepted an appointment as a lieutenan
Richard Nixon
1913-1994
Who Was Richard Nixon?
Richard Nixon was a Republican congressman who served as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nixon ran for president in 1960 but lost to charismatic Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy. Undeterred, Nixon returned to the race eight years later and won the White House by a solid margin. In 1974, he resigned rather than be impeached for covering up illegal activities of party members in the Watergate affair. He died in April 1994, at age 81.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Richard Milhous Nixon
BORN: January 9, 1913
DIED: April 22,1994
BIRTHPLACE: Yorba Linda, California
SPOUSE: Pat Nixon (1940-1993)
CHILDREN: Patricia and Julie
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: CapricornEarly Life and Military Service
Born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California, Richard Milhous Nixon was the second of five children born to Frank Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon. His father was a service station owner and grocer, who also owned a small lemon farm in Yorba Linda. His mother was a Quaker who exerted a strong influence on her son. Nixon's early life was hard, as he characterized by saying, “We were poor, but the glory of it was we didn’t know it.” The family experienced tragedy twice early in Nixon’s life: His younger brother died in 1925 after a short illness, and in 1933, his older brother, whom he greatly admired, died of tuberculosis.
Nixon attended Fullerton High School but later transferred to Whittier High School, where he ran for student body president (but lost to a more popular student). Nixon graduated high school second in his class and was offered a scholarship to Harvard, but his family couldn’t afford the travel and living expenses. Instead of Harvard, Nixon attended local Whittier College, a Quaker institution, where he earned a reputation as a formidable debater, a standout in college drama productions and a successful athlete. Upon graduation from Whittier in 1934, Nixon received a full scholarship to Duke University
- Pat nixon
Richard Nixon
President of the United States from 1969 to 1974
"Nixon" redirects here. For other uses, see Nixon (disambiguation) and Richard Nixon (disambiguation).
Richard Nixon
Official portrait, 1972
In office
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974Vice President Spiro Agnew(1969–1973)
None(Oct–Dec 1973)
Gerald Ford (1973–1974)
Preceded by Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded by Gerald Ford In office
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961President Dwight D. Eisenhower Preceded by Alben W. Barkley Succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson In office
December 1, 1950 – January 1, 1953Preceded by Sheridan Downey Succeeded by Thomas Kuchel In office
January 3, 1947 – November 30, 1950Preceded by Jerry Voorhis Succeeded by Patrick J. Hillings Born Richard Milhous Nixon
(1913-01-09)January 9, 1913
Yorba Linda, California, U.S.Died April 22, 1994(1994-04-22) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.Resting place Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum Political party Republican Spouse Pat Ryan
(m. ; died )Children Parents Education Occupation Signature Branch/service United States Navy Years of service - 1942–1946 (active)
- 1946–1966 (inactive)
Rank Commander Battles/wars Awards Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His presidency saw the reduction of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency