#37. Nixon, Richard Milhous

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas –Richard Milhous Nixon (1913 – 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, from 1969 to 1974. And he was the only president escorted out of the White House before his term was up. Remember that story about George Washington and the cherry tree? It was a made-up tale, making the point that George was such an honest and honorable fellow that even when he did a terrible thing – that is, he cut down their prize cherry tree with the little hatchet his father entrusted to him  – his remorse was so great he said “Father, I cannot tell a lie. It was me that did it.” I just rewatched the tapes of the “Nixon Resignation Speech” of August 8, 1974; you can too, it’s all out there. But you won’t see remorse. You can watch his exit on August 9 too; just after the swearing-in of new president Gerald Ford. It’s weirdly sad; the White House backdrop; the red-carpet path lined with all branches of the military, arms at present; he smiles as he walks past. The now excused First Lady Pat Nixon clings to new First Lady Betty Ford, who is clinging to our new President Gerald Ford; all three have a somber look. The Nixons board the helicopter, and Richard turns. Then, arms flung high, he gives the crowd his trademark V.

On September 8 Gerald Ford issued Proclamation 4311, granting a full and unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon for any crimes he might have committed against the United States. Richard Nixon was absolved of any connection to the infamous Watergate Scandal; 69 others were charged with various connected crimes; 48 were found guilty and were fined, or served time in prison. Richard Nixon lived another twenty years, assuming, in his own mind at least, the role of “elder statesman.” But what about the cherry tree?

Cute Kid

Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California January 9, 1913, the second of the five sons of Francis and Hannah Milhous Nixon. The name of the town goes back – Yorba was the family name on the original Spanish land grant; Linda simply means “pretty.” And it was pretty, an agricultural area of lemon groves southeast of Los Angeles; father Francis built the house on their little ranch. Hannah was of Quaker faith, and the boys were influenced by Quaker observances, such as abstinence from alcohol, dancing, and swearing. “We were poor,” Richard once explained to Eisenhower, “but the glory of it was we didn’t know it.” Their ranch failed in 1922; the family moved to Whittier, another area with many Quakers, and Francis opened a grocery store and gas station.

Richard did well in school; he was president of his eight-grade class; in high school he played junior varsity football and had great success as a debater, winning several championships. All this while helping at the family store – up at 4 am, drive to Los Angeles to purchase vegetables at the market, back to the store to wash and display them; then on to school. He graduated from Whittier High third in his class of 207. And he was offered a tuition grant for Harvard! His older brother Harold was ill, his mother needed help and he was needed at the store, so he stayed at home and enrolled at Whittier College, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in history in 1934. And then a scholarship to Duke University School of Law. There was intense competition for scholarships there; he kept his all the way through, was elected president of the Duke Bar Association, and graduated third in his class in June 1937.

Right now, I’m liking Richard Nixon a lot, aren’t you?

All Grown Up

Admitted to the California bar in 1937, Richard went to work as a commercial litigator for local petroleum companies; the next year, he met Pat. Thelma Ryan, that is, his future wife. A funny circumstance, they were cast in a play opposite one another. He claimed “love at first sight”; they didn’t marry however until June 21, 1940. Daughter Tricia was born in 1946, Julie in 1948. We’ll get back to them.

As a birthright Quaker Richard could have claimed exemption from the draft, but sought a commission in the US Navy. He served in numerous capacities throughout WWII and received numerous commendations; he was relieved of active duty in 1946. Now here’s a tidbit for you: remember Eisenhower’s passion for bridge? Richard picked up five-card stud poker during the war; his winnings helped to finance his first congressional campaign. And where was that? Well, back in Whittier, of course, where he was still a registered voter. In 1947, at the age of 34, he was elected as a US Representative from California . Then 1950-53 a US Senator from California; then off to Washington as Eisenhower’s VP from 1953-1961. So far, doing great, a winning streak. Obviously, President next?

Sometimes You Lose

Maybe he was just too sure of himself. Sometimes a long winning streak makes us lazy. Or maybe he was sick that day; everyone has a bad day now and then. But that first debate with John Kennedy was a bummer for Richard, who had long ago proven himself a great debater – he had all those certificates from high school and college to prove it. Maybe too many strings got pulled during that 1960 campaign, and merit lost out to craftiness? With television now a factor, maybe it hadn’t occurred to any of us yet that image would actually become more important than substance.

A squeaky close defeat is worse than a landslide whuppin’; you wonder what else you could have done, or where things went wrong. There were charges of voter fraud, but in January 1961 at the end of term, the Nixons moved back to California and Richard wrote a book. It was a best seller.

So everybody said run for governor of California, and he did. And he lost. Pretty clear, this was the end of Richard Nixon’s career, according to the media. On November 7, 1962, the morning after the election, Richard made an impromptu speech, saying “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”

If I were a reader of minds, I’d point to that as the moment when Richard Nixon took advice from Robert Johnson, out there on Mississippi’s Highway 61. If you don’t know your blues history, look up that part about making deals with the devil.

Feeling Out The Way

In 1963 the Nixons traveled Europe; Richard gave press conferences there, and met with leaders of the countries visited. They moved to New York, where Richard joined a leading law firm. In 1964, he received some write-in votes in the primaries; but he stayed quiet. The Republicans had heavy losses.

At the end of 1967, Richard told his family he planned to run for president a second time. In March 1968, President Johnson announced he would not be running again. In April Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. In June, Robert Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning. In August, at the Republican Convention in Miami, Richard was nominated on the first ballot and chose Spiro Agnew, governor of Maryland, as his VP.

We had a three-way race: George Wallace as an Independent to pacify the southern states who now hated the Democrats due to the recent civil rights legislation; Hubert Humphrey for the Democrats, who were blamed for all the turmoil and upheaval going on – war and anti-war demonstrations; the hippie counterculture, assassinations, everything in the country that was bad; and Richard Nixon, who promised “peace with honor” and whose slogan was “Nixon’s the One.” Who would you have voted for? I voted for Nixon, he represented sanity in an insane time. I had teen-age sons, and prayed for war to end. And so did just enough people. Former VP Richard Nixon, and former Second Lady Pat, were now sitting on top. Richard sent a note to Hubert, saying, “I know how it hurts to lose a close one.”

Let’s Talk About Pat

You’ll need to get out your yellow pad to take notes about Pat Nixon. Just an ordinary gal, but a superstar in her own sweet way. You’ll see what I mean. Thelma Catherine Ryan (1912-1993) was born March 16, 1912  in the small mining town of Ely, Nevada, the third child of William and Katherine Halberstadt Ryan. Her father nicknamed her “Pat” because she was born just minutes before St Patrick’s Day; it stuck. Father William was a miner, then the family moved to California in 1914 and settled on a small truck farm. Pat’s mother died when she was 12, her father 5 years later; Pat assumed the household duties for her older brothers William and Thomas. She also worked at a local bank as a janitor and bookkeeper during that time.

While attending Fullerton College, she worked as a driver, pharmacy manager, telephone operator and typist. In 1931 she enrolled at the University of Southern California and supplemented her income as a sales clerk, typing teacher, and an extra in the film industry. Yes, she had bit parts in a few motion pictures. But what she wanted was teaching; and in 1937 she graduated cum laude from USC with a BS in merchandising, and a teaching certificate. She took a position at Whittier High School. Ah. And then the part in the play, and meeting Richard, and getting married, and becoming a mom. And the wife of a politician. She campaigned. As Second Lady, and then as First, she undertook missions of goodwill around the world. She didn’t stand and wave; she visited people on their home ground – schools, orphanages, hospitals, markets. She was the most traveled First Lady in US history (later surpassed by Hillary Clinton); she made solo trips to Africa and South America as “Madam Ambassador”; in Vietnam she entered a combat zone, lifting off in an open-door helicopter to witness US troops fighting in the jungle below; she visited Army hospitals, speaking with every patient there.

Pat did things for the White House to make it prettier, and more useful, as many First Ladies devoted their time to, but she did down-to-earth things too; her first Thanksgiving in the White House she organized a meal for 225 senior citizens who didn’t have families; the next year she invited wounded servicemen to the White House for Thanksgiving dinner. She ordered pamphlets for visitors describing the rooms of the house in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian. She had ramps installed for the handicapped and instructed the police who served as tour guides to “learn how” by attending sessions at the Winterthur Museum. Guides were to speak slowly and directly to deaf groups; it was ordered that the blind be allowed to touch antiques. Just little things like that.

And Then There Was Watergate

You’ll have to dig into the Watergate Scandal on your own. Basically, as plans began for the 1972 campaign, some folks from the CRN (Committee to Reelect Nixon) broke into the DNC headquarters (Democratic National Committee). To “get the jump,” you know. And they got caught. And they lied. And lots of people had to lie to cover up those lies. One of those was our president. Even though Richard Nixon won in 1972 with 61% of the popular vote and 97% of the electoral, the devil tiptoed in and began to claim his due.

The swamp muck of Watergate. The public ousting. The helicopter ride. Richard wrote nine books over the next 20 years; he and Pat traveled a great deal, always representing the United States, until their health began to fail. Pat died June 22, 1993 at their home in New Jersey at age 81 of cancer and emphysema; Richard and their daughters were with her. Richard lived another ten months, suffering a severe stroke in his home; he died April 22, 1994 at the age of 81; his daughters were there for him too.

Richard and Pat are buried on the grounds of the Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California; his birthplace is part of the overall site.

As to my party with the Nixons, yes, I would have enjoyed being with them in their early married days; they were hard workers with good dreams. But the swamp-muck Nixon, no. My youngest son, who was only 9 the day we listened to that 1974 Resignation Speech, has this advice for his sons, and nieces, and nephews concerning life: Always take responsibility for your actions. If you mess up, admit it, and try to make things right.

Even if you’ve chopped down the cherry tree.