Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was an American statesman who served as the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974. A Republican, he rose from a California lawyer to national prominence after World War II, serving as a U.S. representative (1947–1950) and a U.S. senator (1950–1953). He was Dwight D. Eisenhower's vice president from 1953 to 1961. After an unsuccessful 1960 presidential bid and a 1962 defeat for California governor, he won the presidency in 1968 and was reelected in 1972.

His presidency pursued winding down the Vietnam War through Vietnamization, while expanding international diplomacy, notably by opening relations with the People's Republic of China (1972) and pursuing arms control with the Soviet Union (SALT I). Domestically, his administration established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1970 and promoted a policy of “New Federalism” to shift some powers to states.

Watergate, a political scandal stemming from a 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee and a subsequent cover-up, led to investigations and the revelation of secret tapes. Facing likely impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, and was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who later pardoned him. Nixon died in 1994 in New York City and is buried in Yorba Linda, California.