Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, a small agricultural village in Orange, California, as the second of five sons of Francis (Frank) Nixon and Hanna Milhous Nixon. He graduated as a lawyer from Duke University School of Law in Durham in 1937 and subsequently began practicing law in the city of Whittier, California.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Nixon worked briefly at the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D.C. In August 1942, he enlisted in the military and served in the Pacific Theater. After his discharge, he entered politics as a candidate of the Republican Party and won the 1947 election, securing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 1950. From 1950 to 1952, he served as a United States Senator.

Following the 1952 presidential election, in which Dwight David Eisenhower was elected President, Richard Milhous Nixon became Vice President of the United States, a position he held from 1953 to 1961. He remains the only U.S. president to have served twice as vice president, twice as president, and to have resigned from the presidency.

After losing the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy, Nixon announced his withdrawal from politics and moved to New York City to resume his legal career. However, he returned to political life in 1968 as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, won the election, and assumed office in January 1969.

Shortly after taking office, Nixon introduced the Nixon Doctrine, which aimed to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed abroad while increasing economic and military aid to allied smaller states. He also initiated the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam.

Inflation emerged as one of the most serious domestic challenges during his presidency. Nixon implemented strict wage and price controls, devalued the U.S. dollar twice, and attempted to reduce government spending. Despite these measures, inflation remained high and budget deficits reached unprecedented levels in U.S. history.

In February 1972, after a 21-year hiatus, Nixon traveled to the People’s Republic of China, reestablishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also became the first U.S. president to visit the Soviet Union. Following his visit in May 1972, an agreement was signed between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit the production of nuclear weapons.

Re-elected in 1972, Nixon’s second term was overshadowed by the Watergate scandal. He admitted to efforts to conceal the incident and to obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry in the days following the break-in. As he lost support in Congress and within his own party, Nixon announced his resignation from the presidency.

Vice President Gerald Rodolph Ford Jr. assumed the presidency on August 9, 1974. Ford’s decision in September 1974 to grant Nixon a full pardon provoked strong public backlash.

Richard Milhous Nixon married Thelma Pat (Patricia) Ryan Nixon on June 21, 1940. The couple had two daughters: Patricia (Tricia), born February 21, 1946, and Julie Nixon, born July 5, 1948.

Richard Milhous Nixon died on April 22, 1994, at the age of 81.

Source: Biyografiler.com