Richard Nixon Birthday (Date, Age, How Old)

Background

On January 9, 1913, Richard Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California, on his family’s lemon ranch estate, and he was raised in Whittier. The second born among his siblings, he was the son of Hannah Milhous Nixon and Francis A. Nixon. Due to financial limitations faced by his family, he gave up a scholarship opportunity at Whittier College to join a local law firm. Nixon served as a naval officer in the United States, where he was initially stationed at a fighter base in Bougainville, before moving to Green Island. While in military service, he developed a fondness for poker. Republican leaders from Whittier encouraged him to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nixon was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander. He successfully challenged five-term Democratic Congressman Jerry Voorhis for a seat representing California’s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House. Afterward, he served as Vice President under President Eisenhower. Elected as the 37th President of the United States in 1968, his approach to foreign policy aimed to reduce international tensions through establishing new connections with former adversaries. He initiated the restoration of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, adopted a détente policy with the Soviet Union, and advocated for domestic initiatives including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the peaceful desegregation of Southern public schools.

In 1972, members of Nixon’s administration were involved in a covert operation where they paid individuals to infiltrate Democratic Party offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., hoping to uncover information that could aid Nixon’s re-election campaign. Despite the subsequent arrests of the intruders, the investigation did not advance quickly enough to halt Nixon’s re-election in that same year. For the next two years,

Nixon and others made efforts to hide their participation; however, once the Supreme Court got involved, Nixon had no choice but to release the secret audio recordings he made of his discussions in the White House, which proved his guilt. Consequently, he resigned from the presidency in 1974. Had he chosen not to, the House of Representatives would likely have proceeded with impeachment — formally charging him with misconduct while in office. Following his departure from the White House, Nixon moved to New York City, where he spent the following two decades. In an attempt to restore his reputation, he wrote books focusing on government and politics. Ultimately, he became more recognized for his abuses of presidential power rather than his achievements. Nixon passed away on April 22, 1994, in New York City, and was laid to rest on April 27, 1994, in Yorba Linda, California.