PIVOTAL PRESIDENTS PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP RICHARD NIXON Edited by Julia Chandler Britannica Educational Publishing IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSEN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Introduction Nixon’s presidency was cut short when the Watergate scandal forced him to resign 6
In 1968 in a political comeback unprece dented in American history Richard Nixon was elected the 37th president of the United States Midway through his second term however his presidency came to a crushing halt Facing a growing scandal and the pros pect of impeachment he became the first president to resign from office Nixon’s 1968 victory followed two major political defeats In his first bid for the presi dency in 1960 the Democratic candidate John F Kennedy narrowly defeated him Two years later he lost his campaign for the governorship of his home state of California He then temporarily retired from politics to practice law Before the election of 1960 Nixon’s political career had been a series of unbro ken successes He was elected to the United States Congress in 1946 and entered the United States Senate as its youngest member in 1951 Two years later at 39 he became the nation’s second youngest vice president and served two terms under Republican Dwight D Eisenhower Nominated for president again in 1968 Nixon won 301 electoral votes to defeat Vice President Hubert H Humphrey He spent 7
