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United States - President of the United States
“ The POWER under the CONSTITUTION will always be IN THE PEOPLE ”— GEORGE WASHINGTON, American General, Statesman, Founding Father and 1st President
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E ... P L U R I B U S ... U N U M
20 January 1961 — Current
Vice President | Nelson A. Rockefeller |
Preceded by | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
20 January 1953 – 20 January 1961
President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Preceded by | Alben W. Barkley |
Succeeded by | Nelson A. Rockefeller |
from California
1 December 1950 – 20 January 1953
Preceded by | Sheridan Downey |
Succeeded by | Thomas Kuchel |
from California's 12th district
3 January 1947 – 30 November 1950
Preceded by | Jerry Voorhis |
Succeeded by | Patrick J. Hillings |
Born | Richard Milhous Nixon |
Political Party | Republican |
Nationality | American |
Spouse | Pat Ryan(m. 1940) |
Children | Tricia · Julie |
Parents | Francis A. Nixon |
Education | Whittier College (BA) |
Religion | Christianity (Quaker) |
Richard Milhous Nixon(January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) is an American politician who is the 35th President of the United States, serving since his inauguration on January 20th, 1961. A member of the Republican party, Nixon previously served as the 36th Vice President from 1953 until his inauguration as President, as a Senator for California from 1950 to 1953, and as a House Representative for California from 1947 to 1950.
Nixon was born into a poor family in a small town in Southern California. He graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife Pat moved to Washington in 1942 to work for the federal government. He served on active duty in the Navy Reserve during World War II. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-Communist which elevated him to national prominence. In 1950, he was elected to the Senate. He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party's presidential nominee in the 1952 election, subsequently serving for eight years as the vice president.
Nixon ran mostly unopposed during the Republican primaries during the 1960 election. After defeating New York governor Nelson Rockefeller decisively during the primaries, Nixon challenged Democrat nominee John F. Kennedy, a former House representative and Senator from Massachusetts, and Democrat Vice Presidential nominee Lyndon B. Johnson with Rockefeller serving as his Vice Presidential nominee. The campaign, which was heavily reliant on mass media, resulted in Nixon narrowly defeating J.F.K. 291-231 after a federal investigation determined John F. Kennedy's initial electoral victory in the state of Illinois had been the result of voter fraud perpetrated by the Chicago crime syndicate, resulting in Nixon being proclaimed the winner on November 29th, 1960.
Since taken office, Nixon has pursued an intense geopolitical campaign abroad, focusing much of his administration's efforts on foreign and military affairs. A keen proponent of NASA as a means for civil and military rocket and missile development, Nixon has been responsible for increasing funding drastically towards the organization in comparison to his predecessor, President Eisenhower, desiring to launch further space-based exploratory programs during his Presidency. Though pursuing a thawing of ties with the Soviets in the interests of mutual preservation, the Nixon administration has taken a hardline anti-communist stance throughout the third world, providing both open and covert financial, military, and political support to pro-Western and anti-communist governments, regimes, and organizations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Under Nixon, the United States intervention in Laos has escalated dramatically, with Nixon seeking to maintain former French Indochina as a "bulwark of democracy" against an encirclement of communist, primarily Chinese-allied nations including China and Thailand.
Domestically, Nixon has pursued a socially progressive agenda, continuing Eisenhower's desegregation efforts and organizing negotiations between the federal government and civil rights leaders. Additionally, Nixon's cabinet has spurred various social programs and legislature, such as the creation of the Federal Waterways and Canal Agency aimed at monitoring water pollution nationally, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, under Attorney General James H. Duff, the administration has intensely pursued conservationist efforts including establishing more federally protected nature reserves more than any other President since Theodore Roosevelt in 1901. Politically, the Nixon administration has pursued "New Federalism", a policy which has delegated some federal responsibilities to the states, however many efforts in this regard have been blocked by the majority Democratic Congress.