Nixon, Richard Milhous

Nixon, Richard Milhous (1913–94)37th president of the United States (1969-74), born in Yorba Linda, California. After serving in the navy in the South Pacific (1942–46), Nixon began his political career in the U.S. House of Representatives (1947–51), where he gained prominence as a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the investigation of Alger Hiss. He was elected to the Senate in 1950, but in 1952 he was tapped to be Dwight D. Eisenhower's running mate on the Republican ticket. Nixon performed effectively during periods of Eisenhower's extended illnesses. Nominated to be his party's standard bearer in 1960, he lost an extremely close election to John F. Kennedy, after which he briefly retired to private life. In 1962 he ran unsuccessfully for governor of California. After this defeat he moved to New York where he practiced law, all the while working to shore up his reputation as a party healer and foreign policy specialist. Again nominated for president in 1968, he won in another close contest. As president, Nixon worked toward a policy of détente with the Soviet Union. He initiated arms control talks (1969), which led to the signing of SALT I (1972). He also made a historic visit to the People's Republic of China (1972), opening relations with that communist power. Many consider these his greatest achievements. He was less successful with concluding the Vietnam War, as he had pledged to do during his campaign. He did authorize withdrawal of troops and undertake settlement negotiations that eventually led to a cease-fire, but only after he had ordered the bombing of Cambodia (1970) and Laos (1971), fueling the already enflamed passions of the ever-increasing antiwar population. Before the Watergate scandal, Nixon's second administration was marked by worsening relations with the Arab states, leading to an oil embargo that adversely affected the American public. He did, however, end conscription in 1973, making the U.S. military an All-Volunteer Force. Most of the focus of his truncated second term was on Watergate. After prolonged hearings, the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment (July 1974) on the grounds of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and failure to comply with Congressional subpoenas. Faced with the certainty that the House would impeach, in August Nixon resigned, the first president to do so. He was granted an unconditional pardon by his successor Gerald R. Ford, who had been named vice president when Nixon's running mate Spiro T. Agnew had been forced to resign (1973) because of earlier scandals in his home state. After leaving the presidency Nixon slowly undertook his rehabilitation. He wrote several books and traveled extensively. At his death he was eulogized as an elder statesman esteemed for his expertise in foreign affairs, but in the public mind his stature remained sullied by the stigma of Watergate.