Richard Nixon

PRESIDENCY

Richard Nixon 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.After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.

LAST YEARS

In his last years, Nixon gained praise as an elder statesman. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994--dying after suffering a stroke four days earlier, at the age of 81 --he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy such as "The Memoirs of Richard Nixon", "Six Crises", "Leaders", "The Real War", "Real Peace", ect.

THE WATERGATE SCANDAL

Within a few months, his administration was embattled over the so-called “Watergate” scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to Re-elect the President. A number of administration officials resigned; some were later convicted of offenses connected with efforts to cover up the affair. Nixon denied any personal involvement, but the courts forced him to yield tape recordings which indicated that he had, in fact, tried to divert the investigation.