"WILL NOT SEEK 64 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION"

NIXON SAYS HE WILL KEEP HIS NAME OUT OF PRIMARIES

Hershey, Pennsylvania (JFK+50) On October 13, 1963, former Vice-President Richard M. Nixon said "he would keep his name out of any...presidential primary where the consent of the candidate is required."

Mr. Nixon has "often" said he would not seek the 1964 Republican presidential nomination.

The former Vice-President is in Hershey to attend an "informal" reunion of Eisenhower administration officials honoring Ike's approaching 73rd birthday.

JFK+50 NOTE

Nixon had been defeated in his bid for the governorship of California in 1962 & told the press, "just think, you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."  While he did not seek the Republican nomination in 1964, he did in 1968 & was elected the 36th POTUS.

SOURCE

"Nixon Vows No Primaries," by David S. Broder, October 13, 1963, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

Richard M. Nixon

Presidential Portrait

1972

Dept of Defense, Dept of the Army

Audio Visual Center

"HAS BEEN RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR AN INJURED KNEE"

NIXON SCHEDULES CROSS-COUNTRY TOUR AFTER RELEASE FROM WALTER REED

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On September 1, 1960, The Evening Star reports Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, Republican presidential nominee for 1960, "has scheduled the opening round of his intensive campaign...on September 12."

The Vice-President has been bedridden at Walter Reed Hospital* where he has been receiving treatment for an injured knee.

Mr. Nixon will give major speeches in Dallas, Texas "and other places on a cross-country tour."

JFK+50 NOTE

RMN banged his left knee getting into or out of his car during a campaign stop in Greensboro, NC on August 17, 1960.  The wound developed an infection & he checked into WRH on August 29, 1960.

It is said that RMN was experiencing some discomfort from this wound when he and JFK met for the first presidential debate on September 26, 1960 contributing to his poor performance. 

The Election of 1960, held on November 8, 1960, proved to be one of the closest in American history.

*Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. underwent major expansion in August 1960 to care for the increasing casualties of the Vietnam War.

SOURCE

"Injured Nixon Charting Trip to Texas September 12," by Cecil Holland, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., September 1, 1960, Chronicling America,  Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

JFK & RMN Televised Debate from Chicago

September 26, 1960

www.nara.getarchive.net/

"FOR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE IN WATERGATE AFFAIR"

NIXON CHARGED WITH ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT BY JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On July 27, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon was charged with the first of three articles of impeachment for "obstruction of justice" in the Watergate* affair.

The charges came as a result of Mr. Nixon's refusal to release audio tape recordings of his private conversations about the scandal.

The President was finally forced to release edited transcripts of the tapes but continued to refuse giving up the tapes themselves.

 JFK+50 NOTE

The House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 in approval of Article I.  6 Republicans joined 21 Democrats in this historic vote.  Two additional articles of impeachment were approved on July 29 and July 30, 1974.

The full House of Representatives never voted on the articles of impeachment because President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.

Only 3 POTUS have been impeached (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton & Donald Trump x 2) but none have been found guilty & removed from office by virtue of a 2/3 majority.

*On June 17, 1972 a group of men linked to the Nixon White House were caught breaking into the Democratic HQ at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.  In July 1973, it was revealed that RMN had recorded his private conversations about Watergate.

SOURCES

"House begins impeachment of Nixon," www.history.com/

"Nixon Charged With Article One By House, July 27, 1974," JFK+50, July 27, 2011, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/

 

 

President Nixon Releases Tape Transcripts

April 29, 1974

White House Press Photo

"SCORES JFK'S RECORD AT HOME & ABROAD"

NIXON WANTS JFK 'TO DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY' TO DRIVE SOVIETS OUT OF CUBA

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On April 20, 1963, former Vice-President Richard M. Nixon called on the Kennedy administration "to do whatever is necessary to force the Soviet beachhead" from Cuba.

Mr. Nixon was speaking to the American Society of Newspaper Editors meeting here in the Nation's Capital, and according to Cecil Holland of The Star, scored "the record of President Kennedy's administration at home and abroad."

The former VP said...

"The United States cannot tolerate the...existence of a Soviet military...base 90 miles from our shores."

JFK+50 NOTE

President Kennedy spoke to the ASNE the previous day.  He told the editors that an invasion of Cuba by the United States "would be a mistake."  April 1963 marked two years since the failed U.S. sponsored invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

SOURCE

"U.S. Decision on Cuba Is Demanded by Nixon," by Cecil Holland, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1963, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

Richard M. Nixon

www.picryl.com

PD

"I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WOULD MAKE IT TO THE TOP"

RICHARD NIXON BORN IN YORBA LINDA CALIFORNIA

Yorba Linda (JFK+50) On January 9, 1913, the future 37th POTUS, Richard Milhous Nixon*, was born here in Yorba Linda.  His parents were Quakers and ran a lemon ranch.  Nixon's early life was influenced by Quaker theology which included no alcohol, dancing or swearing.

Richard Nixon earned his B.A. at Whittier College and his L.L.B. from Duke University Law School.

According to Chris Matthews, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon "were good friends."  When they were elected to Congress in 1946, both "already shared the same lofty goal, the presidency...and respected each other because of it." 

JFK gave a "large contribution" to Nixon's bid for the Senate in 1950 and when Eisenhower chose him as his running mate in 1952, Congressman Kennedy sent a note which read...

"I always knew you would make it to the top.  I just didn't think it would come this soon."

JFK+50 NOTE

JFK would tell a funny story about Nixon at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York during the 1960 presidential campaign.  JFK said that a Nixon supporter had spoken to the Vice-President after an event saying, "That was a damn fine speech."  Mr. Nixon replied, "I appreciate the compliment but not the language."  The man continued, "yes sir I liked it so much I gave a thousand dollars to your campaign."  Mr. Nixon replied, "The hell you say!" 

*Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) served in the U.S. Navy during WWII & the House of Representatives (R-CA) 1947-1950, Senate 1950-1953, as VPOTUS 1953-1961 & POTUS 1969-1974.  After his election to a 2nd term in 1972, RMN was forced to reign the presidency as a result of the Watergate scandal.

SOURCES

"Kennedy and Nixon:  The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America," by Chris Matthews, Simon and Schuster, 1996.

"Such Good Friends," by Douglas Brinkley, June 2, 1996, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/ 

 

 

Kennedy & Nixon At First TV Debate

September 26 1960

Chicago, Illinois

AP Photo

"PUT COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY"

NIXON ASKS MISSISSIPPI DEMOCRATS TO VOTE REPUBLICAN

Jackson, Mississippi (JFK+50) Republican presidential nominee Vice-President Richard M. Nixon spoke on September 24, 1960 from the steps of the Governor's Mansion here in Jackson.

The Vice-President noted that his appearance represented the first time in a century that a presidential candidate of either party had campaigned in the state of Mississippi.

Mr. Nixon asked for the support of all voters in the state.  The Vice-President reminded his audience that it was American tradition to put country before party in electing a President of the United States.  He said...

"I know this is a hard state to win for a Republican candidate (but) we ask for the support of not only Republicans, but of Democrats in this great state."

JFK+50 NOTE

The final vote tally in Mississippi in 1960 was JFK 108,362, RMN 73,561.  Since 1980, Mississippi has gone Republican.  In 1960, Nixon won Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky & Virginia while JFK carried Mississippi, North & South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas & Texas.

 SOURCE

"Transcript of Remarks by the Vice President, Governor's Mansion Steps, Jackson, MS," September 24, 1960.  The American Presidency Project, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ 

 

 

Governor's Mansion

Jackson, Mississippi

Photo by Michael Barera (2018)  

 

A SMALL QUAKER SERVICE IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA

RICHARD NIXON MARRIES PATRICIA RYAN

Riverside, California (JFK+50) Richard Milhous Nixon*, the future 37th President of the United States, married Patricia Ryan** on June 21, 1940 here in Riverside.  The wedding, described as "a small Quaker service,"  took place at the Mission Inn** * wedding chapel.

One other future U.S. president was married on June 21.  130 years before Mr. Nixon's, Zachary Taylor married Margaret Smith in Louisville, Kentucky.  The couple had 6 children, one of their daughters married future Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Dick Nixon and Pat Ryan met in Whittier, California in 1940 when both were auditioning for a play.  It is said that Mr. Nixon told Miss Ryan that night he was going to marry her.

*Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California.  He served in the US Navy in WWII, & was elected to the Congress in 1946.  In 1950 he became a Senator and served as VPOTUS  from 1953 to 1961.  RMN was defeated by JFK in the Election of 1960, lost a bid for governor of California in 1962, but was elected 37th POTUS in 1968.  He served from 1969 to 1974.  RMN died in 1994.

**Thelma Patricia Catherine Ryan was born in Ely, Nevada and the family later moved to California.  She graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS in merchandising in 1937 and began teaching high school in Whittier.  Pat Ryan Nixon died in 1993.

***The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is a national historic landmark.  It was built as a guest house by C.C. Miller in 1876 and renamed by his son Frank in 1902.
It is the largest mission revival style building in the U.S.  Nancy and Ronald Reagan spent their honeymoon at the Mission Inn.  Other U.S. presidents who have visited include Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, TR, Taft, Hoover, JFK, Ford and George W. Bush.

SOURCE

"Pat and Richard Nixon Marriage Profile," by Sheri and Bob Stritof, www.marriage.about.com/

The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa

Riverside, California

Photo by Oleknutke (2008)

                     

37TH POTUS SUCCUMBS FROM COMPLICATIONS OF STROKE

DEATH OF RICHARD M. NIXON

Park Ridge, New Jersey (JFK+50) Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States, died on April 22, 1994 of complications of a stroke he suffered four days earlier.  Mr. Nixon was stricken at his home here in Park Ridge.  

President Nixon died at 9:08 p.m. with daughters Tricia and Julie by his side. His wife, Patricia Ryan Nixon, preceded him in death.  Nixon served two terms as Vice-President under Dwight D. Eisenhower but was defeated by Senator John F. Kennedy in the presidential election of 1960.

Two years later, Mr. Nixon lost a bid to be governor of California.  An obviously bitter candidate told reporters in his press conference..."You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore."

Despite those words, Richard Nixon made a comeback in 1968 and defeated Vice-President Hubert Humphrey to become the 37th President.  Nixon's first term, 1969-1973, was marked by notable foreign policy achievements including a ground-breaking visit to Communist China.

Elected to a 2nd term in 1972, President Nixon was mired in the "Watergate" scandal which culminated in his resignation in 1974.  The 37th POTUS is buried at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California.

Richard M. Nixon

37th US President

THE WORLD'S MOST ADMIRED & RESPECTED MAN

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1902

EISENHOWER DIED 47 YEARS AGO TODAY 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On March 28 1969, Dwight David Eisenhower*, the 34th President of the United States, passed away at Walter Reed Army Hospital here in the Nation's Capital.  

Mr. Eisenhower, who had suffered four heart attacks over a period of years, died of congestive heart failure.  He had been seriously ill for most of the last year of his life.

The former president's body would lie in repose at the National Cathedral and in state in the Capitol Rotunda.  The General was buried in an $80 standard soldier's casket at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene.

President Richard M. Nixon, who served as Eisenhower's vice-president from 1953-1961, eulogized the General by saying...

"For eight years now, Dwight Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation and yet he remain(s) the world's most admired and respected man..."

Mr. Eisenhower, elected President of the United States in 1952, and re-elected in 1956, retired to his home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as one of the most popular chief executives in our history.  The Republican campaign slogan, "We Like Ike," was true for the majority of Americans during the 1950s.

President John F. Kennedy conferred with former President Eisenhower several times during his tenure in the White House.  JFK visited personally with Ike at his Gettysburg farm in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs and called him during the Cuban Missile Crisis.


*Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) was born in Denison, TX and  grew up in Abilene, KS.  Known as Ike,  he graduated from West Point in 1915 and served in both world wars.  DDE married Mamie Geneva Doud of Boone, Iowa.

DDE was Supreme Allied Commander in Operation Overlord in WWII & led allied armies in landing at Normandy in France.  After the war, Ike served as president of Columbia University and was appointed Supreme Commander of NATO forces by President Harry S Truman in 1951.  

SOURCE

"Dwight D. Eisenhower, former president and decorated general, dies at 78 in 1969," by William Twaddell and James Wieghart, New York Daily News, March 27, 2016 (March 29, 1969), www.nydailynews.com/

JFK and Eisenhower

Camp David, Maryland

April 22, 1961

Photo by Robert Knudsen

NARA Image

PRESIDENT NIXON'S BIRTHDAY

PRESIDENT NIXON BORN 101 YEARS AGO TODAY

Yorba Linda, California (JFK+50) 101 years ago today, January 9, 1913, Richard Milhous Nixon, the future 37th President of the United States, was born here in Yorba Linda, California.

Nixon's father, Frank Nixon, owned a lemon ranch but the family struggled financially and grieved the deaths of two of Richard's brothers.

Birthplace of Richard M. Nixon

Yorba Linda, California

National Park Service Photo

In 1922, after the failure of the ranch, the Nixons moved to Whittier, California where Frank ran a grocery store and service station.

Richard Nixon attended Whittier College where he became a champion debater and went on to Duke Law School in North Carolina where he graduated third in his class in 1937.

Nixon married Patricia Ryan in 1940 and the couple would have two daughters, Tricia and Julie.

Like John F. Kennedy, Mr. Nixon served in the United States Navy in World War II and after the war was elected to the United States Congress.

Having been re-elected to Congress in 1948, Richard Nixon was elected to the United States Senate in 1950.

Richard Nixon served as Vice President of the United States during the Eisenhower years, but was defeated by JFK in the presidential election of 1960.

Nixon was then defeated for Governor of California in 1962, but defeated Hubert Humphrey in 1968 to become the 37th President.

After a successful 1st 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 after the Watergate scandal.

Richard M. Nixon died in New York City on April 22, 1994 at the age of 81.

NIXON SAYS HE AGREES WITH JFK'S GOALS

NIXON SAYS HE AGREES WITH JFK'S GOALS BUT NOT HIS MEANS TO ACHIEVE THEM

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) On September 26, 1960,  Richard M. Nixon, Vice-President & Republican nominee for President of the United States, said in his opening remarks in the 1st debate of the presidential campaign that he agrees with Senator John F. Kennedy's goals but not with the means his Democratic opponent would use to achieve them.


In his opening remarks following those of Senator Kennedy, Mr. Nixon said:

"The things that Senator Kennedy has said many of us can agree with.  There is no question but that this nation cannot stand still...& I subscribe completely to the spirit that (he) has expressed tonight, the spirit that the U.S. shall move ahead."

The Vice-President then asked this question:

"Where, then do we disagree?"

His answer:

"I think we disagree on the implication...that the United States has been standing still."

The Republican nominee then gave some statistics to back up his claim.

Mr. Nixon said that the U.S. has built more schools during the Eisenhower administration "than we built....in the previous 20 years."

He said also that we have produced more hydo-electric power than...in any previous administration in history.

The Vice-President boasted also that "we have built more hospitals (&) highways..."

In regard to social programs, Mr. Nixon said:

"Both of us want to help the old people.  We want to see that they do have adequate medical care."

60 YEARS AGO NIXON GAVE CHECKERS SPEECH

60 YEARS AGO NIXON GAVE "CHECKERS" SPEECH

Hollywood, California (JFK+50) On September 23, 1952, Senator Richard M. Nixon gave the speech that is said to have saved his political career.

It was during the 1952 Presidential election campaign when Mr. Nixon was on the Republican ticket as Dwight D. Eisenhower's running mate.

The California senator had been accused of taking $18,000 in campaign funds for his personal use.

Nixon decided to make an appeal directly to the American people via television & radio.  He spoke from the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

During the 30 minute talk, in which Nixon denied the charge, because he referred to his daughters' black & white cocker spaniel dog named 'Checkers', it became known as the "Checkers" speech.

Senator Nixon said:

"The kids, like all kids, love the dog & I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're going to keep it."

And in regard to the charges, Nixon said:

"Not one cent...went for my personal use.  Every penny...was used for political expenses...."

The Senator backed up his claim by reading a letter from an audit report prepared by CPAs.  It read:

"It is our conclusion that Senator Nixon did not obtain any financial gain from...these funds..."

Mr. Nixon made reference several times during the speech to his wife, Pat, who was sitting nearby.  He said at one point:

"Pat & I have the satisfaction that every dime that we've got is honestly ours.  I should say this--that Pat doesn't have a mink coat.  But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat.  And I always tell her that she'd look good in anything."

At the close of the speech, which was seen or heard by an audience of 60 million, Nixon asked the American people to help the Republican National Committee decide whether or not he should stay on the ticket.

The RNC was flooded with more than 4 million letters & other communications.  They favored Nixon by 75 to 1.

It made Ike's decision an easy one.  Eisenhower kept Richard Milhous Nixon as his Vice-Presidential running mate....and the rest is history.

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION 1856-1960-2012

August 28, 2012

The 40th Republican National Convention is convening this week in Tampa, Florida.  Today, the delegates officially made MITT ROMNEY the 2012 Republican nominee for President of the United States.

The 1st Republican convention was held in July 1856 just 2 years after the party was founded.

The delegates, meeting at MUSICAL FUND HALL in Philadelphia, chose John C. Fremont as their presidential nominee.

                  Musical Fund Hall

                  808 Locust Street

                   Philadelphia, PA

Photo by George A. Eisenman, 1976

The Republicans also included the following plank in their platform:

It is the duty of Congress to prohibit in the (western) territories, these twin relics of barbarism: polygamy & slavery.

Although Fremont lost in the general election to Democrat James Buchanan, the Republicans would nominate a winner 4 years later.  His name was Abraham Lincoln.

JULY 28, 1960

NIXON ACCEPTS REPUBLICAN NOMINATION, WARNS VOTERS OF DANGERS OF NEW FRONTIER

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) Tonight Vice-President Richard M. Nixon gave his acceptance speech as the Presidential nominee of the Republican Party.

Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who Senator Kennedy defeated in Massachusetts in 1952, won the Vice-Presidential nomination.

The Vice-President characterized it as "the greatest moment of my life."

Mr. Nixon asked Americans to cast their votes in November based on what the candidates say, what they believe & on "who is best qualified to lead America & the free world in this critical period." 

In the nationally televised speech, the Republican nominee quoted Republicans Abraham Lincoln & Theodore Roosevelt & Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

The Vice-President warned that Senator John F. Kennedy's New Frontier program will "wreck the economy & dash our people's hopes for a better life."

Mr. Nixon went on to promise to campaign "in every one of the fifty states."

               Vice-President Nixon & 
          Vice-President Elect Johnson
                   January 20, 1961
            Photo by Robert L. Knudsen
                  JFK Library Image