alternatehistory.com



37. Richard Nixon (January 20th, 1969 - October 8th 1974)

Despite winning re-election in one of the largest landslides in presidential history, Richard Nixon's second term was dominated by the Watergate Scandal. While the President had not been involved in the initial break-in, evidence began to mount that he had helped orchestrate a cover-up of illegal activity.

While initially congressional opposition was largely partisan, by the middle of 1974 Nixon was coming under increasing pressure to resign from senior figures in his own party. House and Senate Minority Leaders Gerald Ford and Bob Dole, along with senior senator Barry Goldwater, attempted to negotiate a way for Nixon to leave office with some of his dignity, and prevent his office from being sullied any further.

Resignation was against every instinct of Nixon's, and he did not believe that the Senate would remove him from office. The President could not conceive of a situation where Republicans who vote to remove a President of their own party, and essentially guarantee a Democratic President in 1976.

The President's confidence was misplaced; largely isolated from public opinion, he did not understand how the American people had turned against him, and just wanted the whole ordeal to be over. Congressional opinion followed the public's, and so on October 8th 1974 the Senate met to vote on Articles of Impeachment. Moments before the roll call, the leadership received word that there would be no need for a vote after all.

It soon emerged that President Richard Nixon had finally bit the bullet and resigned from office. It became clear why when just under a week later his successor announced a blanket pardon for the disgraced former President...
Top