Dwight D. Eisenhower dies in '55

on September 24, 1955 Ike had dinner with his doctor and told him about some stomach pains he was having the doctor told him it was fine, and left, latter that night his wife, as all good wifes do, told he need to go to the Hospital damn what the doctor says, and she drove him there herself, Ike was having a Myocardial infarction (a heart attack)

so what if Mamie Eisenhower hadn't been able to talk Ike into coming to the Hospital and he'd died? what does a Nixon Presidency in 1955 look like and can Nixon win reelection in 56?
 
At age 42, he would have been a very young president. The economy was on auto pilot at the time, as industry was booming to catch up with demand for consumer products. Like Ike, Nixon could have skirted deep involvement in the cold war simply because there were not yet any ICBM's. So yes, he would have been re-elected, despite his youth, because it would have been difficult to "do wrong" in those years.
 
With far less military stature than Eisenhower, Nixon would suffer more as Sputnik made the US look off guard in 1957. As a result, he probably would have not been re-elected in 1960. So, Kennedy would have the advantage in 1960. Given his youth, Nixon could have been a split term president, getting elected in 1968 as in OTL.
 
With far less military stature than Eisenhower, Nixon would suffer more as Sputnik made the US look off guard in 1957. As a result, he probably would have not been re-elected in 1960. So, Kennedy would have the advantage in 1960. Given his youth, Nixon could have been a split term president, getting elected in 1968 as in OTL.

Hmm...Interesting notion by having Dick come back for a non consecutive term. I have a feeling however that Nixon pretty much governs much like Esinhower but perhaps with a little more focus on foriegn affairs than in OTL. By the time 1960 election comes around I do feel that I much younger Nixon bmight be even more prone to sabotoging the Kennedy Campaign just to win. Wether or not this could evolve into some type of Watergatesque scandal in the early '60's depends, but I do think due to the flaws in his chararcters something like it would eventually come up. So he might be in office for ten years, or maybe just eight if he resigns, impeached or assasinatied all of which are likely scenarios.
 
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