Richard Nixon was a complex man. He was California-raised in a poor family following the Quaker religion, specifically the Evangelical Friends denomination. Following a Law Degree from Duke University, he became active in the naval reserves during the Second World War.

Serving as vice president under President Eisenhower from 1953 until 1960, Nixon lost the 1960 presidential bid to John F. Kennedy. He then lost a bid to be governor of California. Joining with Spiro Agnew to run again for the presidency in 1968, he successfully won. His term was successful in creating the Environmental Protection Agency, and in passing the Clean Air Act and the Clean water Act. He also successfully re-established US relations with China. A thorn in the side of all presidents since 1963, however, was the US involvement in a conflict in Vietnam. That "war' got more and more costly as it got more and more complex. Having been re-elected in 1972, Nixon found the failing support of the expensive involvement in SE Asia to occupy more of his attention. Having been caught up in a spying operation in the Watergate operation, Nixon saw the writing on the wall for his eventual impeachment. He resigned from office in August of 1974. Since Spiro Agnew had resigned earlier due to financial conflicts, Nixon's new vice president, Gerald Ford became president.

Though his own statement that, "I'm not a crook" would haunt him, he goes down in history as an effective statesman and a worthy president.

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