Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. Nixon is incredibly infamous for the Watergate Scandal, in which he had officials from his party steal important documents from the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. He resigned from his second term of presidency after years of investigation. Though Nixon had an ugly and humiliating second term, his life story was much more admirable. 

Nixon was born into a semi-poor Quaker family in Yorba Linda, California on January 9, 1913. Nixon was the closest thing to a perfect student. He always got A’s, and he never got a single B. He was elected class president all the time and graduated valedictorian. He was accepted into Harvard, but declined because he had to help his family on the farm. He went to a local college instead. After Nixon finished college, he got multiple jobs at the offices of senators. When he was ready, he ran as a California congressman. Nixon was an excellent debater, and his sly tactics earned him the name “Tricky Dick.” He realized that running as an anti-communism candidate during his time was very popular, and he won easily. After his congressman term was over, he was nominated as Dwight Eisenhower’s vice-presidential pick. Nixon was the V.P. for two terms. Near the end of his second term as vice president, Nixon debated with Russian Premier Nikita Kruschev. These debates made him incredibly popular in the United States. 

When his terms were over for his vice-presidency, Nixon ran for president. However, his first campaign did not go as well as planned. Nixon seemed stressed out and ugly to the public, without a fresh shave, and bag under his eyes. It also did not help that he was running against the young and sharp John F. Kennedy. Nixon lost, and he had to wait another 4 years. In his next run for office, he did not get the Republican nomination, and he failed to make any impressions. However, the 1968 election went in his favor. He was running against Democrat Hubert H. Humphrey, and sealed the deal in a dominant victory. During his first term, there were many protests because Nixon would not end the war in Vietnam, contrary to his promise in the campaign. After his first campaign, he ran again. His opponent was George McGovern. He won in an absolute landslide of a victory, winning every single state except for Massachusetts. Although he won by a notable margin, it was just the beginning of the investigations that led to his resignation. He resigned on August 9th, 1974. Although Nixon was found guilty, his former Vice-President, Gerald Ford, pardoned him. After Nixon's resignation, he lived a quiet life, moving around the country writing and publishing books. Nixon died on April 22nd, 1994, in Manhattan. Nixon's reputation was tarnished by some of his actions, but set that aside, he was a great man that many could look up to.