Richard Nixon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 55th United States Secretary of State | |
| In office January 20, 1965 – December 11, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | J. William Fulbright |
| Succeeded by | Henry Kissinger |
| United States Senator from California | |
| In office December 1, 1950 – January 1, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Sheridan Downey |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 12th district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – November 30, 1950 | |
| Preceded by | Jerry Voorhis |
| Succeeded by | Patrick J. Hillings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Milhous Nixon January 9, 1913 Yorba Linda, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1994 (aged 81) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Yorba Linda, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Tricia Julie |
| Parents |
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| Education | Whittier College (BA) Duke University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was an American politician from California, who served as U.S. Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Barry Goldwater and William Scranton. He was also the nominee of the Republican Party in the 1976 U.S. presidential election, but ultimately lost to Hubert Humphrey.
Nixon was born into a poor family 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 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.
During his tenure in the Senate, Nixon played an active role in the House Un-American Activities Committee; he and chairman of the Committee on Government Operations, Joseph McCarthy helped bring about the McCarthy Scares. However, he started to break with McCarthy over his indictment of former Vice President Henry A. Wallace and current Vice President Everett Dirksen. He was initially considered for the Vice Presidential slot for William Knowland's re-election bid in 1956 after Dirksen was dropped, but it went to William E. Jenner instead.
During Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.'s presidency, Nixon was allegedly listed as Kennedy's "enemy number one" due to their mutual hatred. It is widely believed that Nixon was instrumental in the exposure of the Syrian affair and Kennedy's subsequent impeachment in 1963. In 1964, after Joseph McCarthy was assassinated, Nixon ran for the Republican nomination, posing himself as the successor to the now-popular McCarthy. However, he lost to Arizonan senator Barry Goldwater, whom Nixon would ultimately support when he promised to appoint him as Secretary of State.
Nixon was instrumental in shaping the foreign policy of the Goldwater and Scranton administrations. He started detente with the Communist sphere, and helped to bring about the Stockholm Conference to broker a peaceful end for the German Civil War. However, his decision to lend support to the Nanyang regime, indirectly starting the West Russian War, and opposition to various African independence movements stirred controversy. Nixon's influence over the Scranton administration also caused scrutiny.
Nixon strongly opposed Scranton's second re-election bid in 1972 and fought against him in the Republican primaries that year. Although Scranton still clinched the nomination, his weak showing in the primaries seriously undermined his performance in the general election, and he lost in a landslide to Hubert Humphrey. In 1976, Nixon ran again and got nominated. He posed himself as a conservative candidate; however, this could not appeal to urban voters, who became increasingly liberal after the so-called Humphrey Revolution, and he lost the election.
In 1980, Nixon supported John Connally's bid for the Democratic nomination, while he himself ran for his previous senate seat in California. He recruited Sam Yorty to run against him and incumbent Alan Cranston in order to split the Progressive vote; however, this backfired and Yorty won a surprise victory. After his loss, Nixon retired from public life and published his memoirs, helping to build his image as a well-learned elderly statesman. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at age 81.