Richard Nixon: Difference between revisions

| order1              = 36th

| office1            = Vice President of the United States

| term_start1        = January 20, 1953

| term_end1          = January 20, 1961

}}

{{Richard Nixon series}}

Nixon was born into a poor family of [[Quakers]] in [[Yorba Linda]], [[Southern California]]. He graduated from [[Duke University School of Law|Duke Law School]] in 1937, practiced law in California, and then moved with his wife [[Pat Nixon|Pat]] to [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1942 to work for the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]]. After serving active duty in the [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]] during [[World War II]], he was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in [[1946 California's 12th congressional district election|1946]]. His work on the [[Alger Hiss]] case established his reputation as a leading [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]]. In [[1950 United States Senate election in California|1950]], he was elected to the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. Nixon was the running mate of Eisenhower, the Republican Party's presidential nominee in the [[1952 United States presidential election|1952 election]], and served for eight years as vice president. He narrowly lost the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 presidential election]] to [[John F. Kennedy]]. After his loss in the [[1962 California gubernatorial election|1962]] race for governor of California, he announced his retirement from politics. However, in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]], he made another run for the presidency and narrowly defeated the Democratic incumbent vice president [[Hubert Humphrey]].

[[File:Ike Dick.png|thumb|Front cover of campaign literature for the [[Dwight Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]–Nixon campaign in the [[1952 United States presidential election|1952 presidential election]]]]

[[File:Richard Nixon official portrait as Vice President.tiff|thumb|Nixon's official portrait as [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]], {{circa|1953–1961}}]]

In mid-September, the Republican ticket faced a major crisis when the media reported that Nixon had a political fund, maintained by his backers, which reimbursed him for political expenses.<ref>John W. Malsberger, "Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and the Fund Crisis of 1952," ''Historian,'' 73 (Fall 2011), pp 526–47.</ref>{{sfn|Kornitzer|p=191}} Such a fund was not illegal, but it exposed Nixon to allegations of a potential conflict of interest. With pressure building for Eisenhower to demand Nixon's resignation from the [[ticket (politics)|ticket]], Nixon went on television to address the nation on September 23, 1952.{{sfn|Aitken|pp=210–217}} The address, later named the [[Checkers speech]], was heard by about 60&nbsp;million Americans, which represented the largest audience ever for a television broadcast at that point.{{sfn|Thompson|p=291}} In the speech, Nixon emotionally defended himself, stating that the fund was not secret and that his donors had not received special favors. He painted himself as a patriot and man of modest means, mentioning that his wife had no mink coat; instead, he said, she wore a "respectable Republican cloth coat".{{sfn|Aitken|pp=210–217}} The speech was remembered for the gift which Nixon had received, but which he would not give back, which he described as "a little cocker spaniel dog{{nbsp}}...sent all the way from Texas. And our little girl—Tricia, the 6-year-old—named it Checkers."{{sfn|Aitken|pp=210–217}} The speech prompted a huge public outpouring of support for Nixon.{{sfn|Aitken|p=218}} Eisenhower decided to retain him on the ticket,{{sfn|Morris|p=846}} and the ticket was victorious in [[1952 United States presidential election|the November election]].{{sfn|Aitken|pp=222–223}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets|nominee]] for President of the United States| years=[[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Barry Goldwater]]}}