Wi Nixon Dies in 1974/75?

Peelitebkearns · May 11, 2012

Hi all,

Shortly after resigning the presidency, Nixon was taken ill as a result of phlebitis. In OTL he narrowly escaped death-so what if it kills him?

Nixon himself probably wouldn't have much affect on the next few years, but how does Nixon's early death affect Ford's presidency?

What happens regarding Watergate?
Any ideas?

Glass Onion · May 12, 2012

Ford is probably reelected here, provided that Nixon dies before the pardon.

Apollo 20 · May 12, 2012

Glass Onion said:
Ford is probably reelected here, provided that Nixon dies before the pardon.

Very possible. That, in turn, saddles the GOP with the '79/'80 economy and perhaps Iran as well. No Reagan. Huge butterflies.

Even if Nixon dies after the pardon, it might be viewed more favorably than ir was OTL. Rather than letting a crook off the hook, it might be viewed more as an act of compassion for a dying man. Given how close '76 was, that might be enough...

MrwBrightside · May 12, 2012

Also, what if Nixon died just before his resignation in the first place? Ford would obviously ascend to the presidency, but would the US be willing to probe their recently deceased president?

Peelitebkearns · May 12, 2012

Hmmm interesting responses.

I think Nixon's illness flared up in OTL not long after Ford's pardon, but while the investigations are still going on.

I was thinking this could lead to Ford being elected in his own right in 1976.

I wonder how people will view Nixon in this TL? Watergate has played out already by the time of his TTL death, but the fact he's died could evoke sympathy for him.

jmc247 · May 12, 2012

Apollo 20 said:
Very possible. That, in turn, saddles the GOP with the '79/'80 economy and perhaps Iran as well. No Reagan. Huge butterflies.

Even if Nixon dies after the pardon, it might be viewed more favorably than ir was OTL. Rather than letting a crook off the hook, it might be viewed more as an act of compassion for a dying man. Given how close '76 was, that might be enough...

Carter sent a 4 star out to tell the Iranian Army to stay in their bases and don't put down the revolution. They did and the officer corps was mass purged. Ford was a nice guy, but not nice to the point of being naive and I don't see him doing that.

No super spike in gas prices, no hostage crisis, no Iran/Iraq War as the revolution ends with a military junta taking over.

The butterflies could be massive including no Gulf War and no al-Qaeda.

Paul V McNutt · May 12, 2012

If Nixon dies before the pardon:

Gerald Ford 1974 - 1981
Walter Mondale 1981 - 1989
Hugh Carey 1989 - 1993
Jack Kemp 1993 - 2001
Lamar Alexandr 2001- 2009
Barack Obama 2009 -

Apollo 20 · May 12, 2012

jmc247 said:
Carter sent a 4 star out to tell the Iranian Army to stay in their bases and don't put down the revolution. They did and the officer corps was mass purged. Ford was a nice guy, but not nice to the point of being naive and I don't see him doing that.

No super spike in gas prices, no hostage crisis, no Iran/Iraq War as the revolution ends with a military junta taking over.

The butterflies could be massive including no Gulf War and no al-Qaeda.

This assumes that the Iranian revolution could be put down by force. That is possible. It is also possible that it is not the case; the result is a long and bloody civil war that spikes gas prices anyway. The Iranians had a long list of grievances against the Shah. I'm not convinced Ford could have kept that pot from boiling over.

In any case, the economy had other problems (unemployment, interest rates, inflation) then beside Iran and it was likely to be an issue in '80 regardless of what happened in Iran. In addition, you would have had the GOP in office for 12 years and a likely bloody primary between Dole and Reagan for the nomination, as Ford would be term-limited. No party has held the White House longer than that since FDR/Truman. That plus a primary contest does not bode well for the GOP in '80, which still makes a 1980 Reagan win far more difficult than OTL.