Political Career
A graduate of Whittier College and Duke law school, he practiced law in Whittier, Calif., from 1937 to 1942, was briefly with the Office of Emergency Management, and served during World War II with the navy in the South Pacific. In 1946 he was elected to Congress as a Republican. In the House of Representatives he became nationally known for his work on the House Committee on Un-American Activities, where he was credited with forcing the famous confrontation between Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers, thus precipitating the perjury case against Hiss. In 1950 he was elected to the U.S. Senate after a particularly bitter electoral campaign. In the Senate, Nixon denounced President Truman's policy in Asia, supported Gen. Douglas MacArthur's proposal to expand the Korean War, and attacked the Democratic administration as favorable to socialism.
Resignation Richard M. Nixon
Richard Nixon is the only United States president ever to have resigned the office mid-term.
Having secured a landslide re-election in November 1972, his resignation on August 9, 1974 came just eighteen months into his second term.
One consequence of Nixon’s resignation was that Gerald Ford became the first president never to have been elected by the people or the Electoral College. Ford was also the first vice-president to have been nominated by a sitting president and confirmed by the Senate.
Having secured a landslide re-election in November 1972, his resignation on August 9, 1974 came just eighteen months into his second term.
One consequence of Nixon’s resignation was that Gerald Ford became the first president never to have been elected by the people or the Electoral College. Ford was also the first vice-president to have been nominated by a sitting president and confirmed by the Senate.