JFK+50: Volume 6, No. 1823
PRESIDENT RICHARD M. NIXON'S 103RD BIRTHDAYYorba Linda, California (JFK+50) 103 years ago today, January 9, 1913, the 37th President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, was born here in Yorba Linda, California.
Nixon's father, Frank, owned a lemon ranch but in 1922, after the failure of the ranch, the Nixons moved to Whittier, California where Frank ran a grocery store and gas station.
Richard Nixon attended Whittier College where he became a champion debater and then went on to Duke Law School in North Carolina where he graduated third in his class in 1937.
Nixon married Pat Ryan in 1940 and the couple had two daughters, Tricia and Julie. Mr. Nixon served in the US Navy in WWII and after the war was elected to the United States Congress.
On January 3, 1947, Mr. Nixon, along with John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, was sworn in as a member of the 80th Congress of the United States. Nixon was almost 34 years old, while Kennedy was 29. The two future presidents served together on the Education and Labor Committee.
Congressman Nixon was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1950. JFK was elected to the Senate in 1952, the same year Senator Nixon ran for Vice-President.
After 8 years as VP under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mr. Nixon was narrowly defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy for the presidency, but in 1968 defeated Hubert H. Humphrey to become the 37th POTUS.
After a successful first term, particularly in the area of foreign policy, President Nixon won an overwhelming victory over George McGovern in 1972. In 1974, however, Nixon was forced to resign as a result of the Watergate scandal.
Richard M. Nixon died in New York City on April 22, 1994 at the age of 81.
Birthplace of Richard M. Nixon
Yorba Linda, California
National Park Service Photo
