Richard Nixon

37th President of the United States

### Siblings

Harold Nixon (brother), Donald Nixon (brother), Arthur Nixon (brother), Edward Nixon (brother)

### Education

Whittier College (BA)Duke University (LLB)

### Hair Color

Brown

**Richard M. Nixon** was elected the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974) after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from California and the 36th Vice president of the United States under Dwight Eisenhower. After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the Soviet Union and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.

*The Presidency of Richard Nixon spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Cold War Era and the age of the Space Race and the Cold War Arms Race. President Richard Nixon represented the Republican political party which influenced the domestic and foreign policies of his presidency including his policy of "Vietnamization".*

## Biography

Reconciliation was the first goal set by President Richard M. Nixon. The Nation was painfully divided, with turbulence in the cities and war overseas. During his Presidency, Nixon succeeded in ending American fighting in VietNam and improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China. But the Watergate scandal brought fresh divisions to the country and ultimately led to his resignation.

His election in 1968 had climaxed a career unusual on two counts: his early success and his comeback after being defeated for President in 1960 and for Governor of California in 1962.

Born into a small family of Quakers in Southern California in 1913, Nixon had a brilliant record at Whittier College and Duke University Law School before beginning the practice of law. In 1940, he married Patricia Ryan; they had two daughters, Patricia (Tricia) and Julie. During World War II, Nixon served as a Navy lieutenant commander in the Pacific.

On leaving the service, he was elected to Congress from his California district. In 1950, he won a Senate seat. Two years later, General Eisenhower selected Nixon, age 39, to be his running mate.

As Vice President, Nixon took on major duties in the Eisenhower Administration. Nominated for President by acclamation in 1960, he lost by a narrow margin to John F. Kennedy. In 1968, he again won his party’s nomination, and went on to defeat Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and third-party candidate George C. Wallace.

His accomplishments while in office included revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, and a broad environmental program. As he had promised, he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. One of the most dramatic events of his first term occurred in 1969, when American astronauts made the first moon landing.

Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, he reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. His summit meetings with Russian leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons. In January 1973, he announced an accord with North Viet Nam to end American involvement in Indochina. In 1974, his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, negotiated disengagement agreements between Israel and its opponents, Egypt and Syria.

In his 1972 bid for office, Nixon defeated Democratic candidate George McGovern by one of the widest margins on record.

Within a few months, his administration was embattled over the so-called “Watergate” scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to Re-elect the President. A number of administration officials resigned; some were later convicted of offenses connected with efforts to cover up the affair. Nixon denied any personal involvement, but the courts forced him to yield tape recordings which indicated that he had, in fact, tried to divert the investigation.

As a result of unrelated scandals in Maryland, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned in 1973. Nixon nominated, and Congress approved, House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford as Vice President.

Faced with what seemed almost certain impeachment, Nixon announced on August 8, 1974, that he would resign the next day to begin “that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.”

In his last years, Nixon gained praise as an elder statesman. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994, he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy.

## Personality

The character traits of President Richard Nixon can be described as serious, forceful, introverted intellectual, diligent, devious and evasive. Richard Nixon also suffered from low self-esteem with feelings of inadequacy. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for Richard Nixon is an INTJ (introversion, intuition, thinking, judgment). A strong, reserved, independent and character. Richard Nixon Personality type: an individualist, efficient with a high level of confidence in their ability and talents, making them a natural leader.

## Nicknames

* "Red Hunter"
* "Tricky Dick"

*Meaning: The nickname of President Richard Nixon provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public during his presidency. The meaning of the nickname "Tricky Dick" originally referred to allegations of dirty tricks during the 1950 US Senate race in California. The "Tricky Dick" nickname resurfaced following the conspiracy and cover-up of the Watergate Scandal.*

## Inaugurations

### First Inauguration

The first inauguration of Richard Nixon as the 37th president of the United States was held on Monday, January 20, 1969, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 46th inauguration and marked the commencement of the first and eventually only full term of both Richard Nixon as president and Spiro Agnew as vice president. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the presidential oath of office to Nixon, and Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen administered the vice presidential oath to Agnew. Nixon was the first non-incumbent vice president to be inaugurated as president. This was also the last presidential oath administered by Chief Justice Warren.

### Second Inauguration

The second inauguration of Richard Nixon as president of the United States was held on Saturday, January 20, 1973, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 47th inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final term of both Richard Nixon as president and Spiro Agnew as vice president. Both Agnew and Nixon resigned within two years of this term. In December 1973, Gerald Ford replaced Agnew as vice president and in the following year, replaced Nixon as president. This made Nixon the first and, as of 2023, only person to be inaugurated four times as both president and vice president. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered both the presidential and vice presidential oaths of office. During the ceremony, *Look With Pride On Our Flag*, a song dedicated to President Nixon and composed by Hank Fort, was played.

## Presidents who died during his Presidency

* Harry S. Truman
* Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Lyndon B. Johnson

## Famous Films

* **The Godfather**
* The Exorcist
* A Clockwork Orange
* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
* American Graffiti
* A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
* The Aristocats
* Robin Hood (1973)
* Battle for the Planet of the Apes
* Escape from the Planet of the Apes

## Accomplishments and major events

*The major accomplishments and the famous, main events that occurred during the time that Richard Nixon was president began in 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. 18-year-olds got the right to vote, the SALT Treaty was signed,  Detente was established and the Vietnam War ended. The Pentagon Papers were leaked bringing concerns about the integrity of the government but they did not implicate the Nixon administration. Then the Watergate Scandal broke. The conspiracy and cover-up of the Watergate Break-in brought down Richard Nixon, who resigned before he could be impeached.*

**The Cold War (1945 - 1991)**

Summary: The Cold War (1945 - 1991) was a 'war of words'  involving the Cold War Space Race and the Cold War Arms Race involving the nuclear build-up between the USA and the West and the Communist countries dominated by the USSR and China in the East. Richard Nixon was one of the nine US Presidents who were in office during the dangerous period in history known as the Cold War in which the US adopted the policy of Containment to restrict the spread of communism abroad.

**Stagflation (1970's)**

Summary: Stagflation was the term used to describe the state of the nation's economy during the 1970's and the Richard Nixon administration. Stagflation was a combination of economic stagnation, rising prices and inflation. President Richard Nixon failed to curb stagflation and the worst recession since the Great Depression continued into the presidencies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter until the economy finally began to recover during the administration of Ronald Reagan.

**The Vietnam War (1955 - 1975)**

Summary: The Vietnam War (November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975) between communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong communist guerrillas (backed by China and the USSR) against the non-communist South Vietnam (supported by US military aid and involvement). There were four US presidents during the Vietnam War: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon  The first US combat troops were sent to Vietnam in March 1965 and left in August 1973.

**Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War**

Summary: President Nixon authorized 'Operation Breakfast' (18 March 1969 until 26 May 1970), the secret bombing of Cambodia in an attempt to destroy supply routes. On April 30, 1970 President Nixon announced that he had extended the Vietnam War into Cambodia, requiring the need to draft 150,000 more U.S. soldiers into the war effort, that sparked protests across the nation that led to the Kent State Shooting.

**The Kent State Shooting (1970)**

Summary: The Kent State Shooting occurred on May 4, 1970 when 4 students were shot dead at Kent State University by Ohio National Guardsmen during a protest against the escalation of the Vietnam War into Cambodia and the need to draft 150,000 more U.S. troops.

**Vietnamization (1969)**

Summary: Vietnamization was the term used by Richard Nixon in a broadcast speech on November 3, 1969 to describe his aim at achieving “peace with honor” in the Vietnam War.

**The Pentagon Papers (1971)**

Summary: The Pentagon Papers was the name given to a secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967.  The Pentagon Papers leaked March 1971  revealing that the US government, in administrations prior to that of Richard Nixon, had been dishonest with the American public.

**The SALT Treaty (1972)**

Summary: The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) that began in November 1969 and ended in January 1972, resulted in the SALT Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union.

**The Godfather (1972)**

Summary: The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in *The Godfather* trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafia boss.

*The Godfather* premiered at the Loew's State Theatre on March 14, 1972, and was widely released in the United States on March 24, 1972. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972, and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made, earning between $250 and $291 million at the box office. The film was well received by critics and audiences, who praised its performances—particularly those of Brando and Pacino—direction, screenplay, writing, story, cinematography, editing, score, and portrayal of the mafia. *The Godfather* launched the successful careers of Coppola, Pacino, and other relative newcomers in the cast and crew. At the 45th Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Puzo and Coppola). In addition, the seven other Oscar nominations included Pacino, Caan, and Duvall all for Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola for Best Director.

*The Godfather* is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, as well as a landmark of the gangster genre. It was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1990, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and is ranked the second-greatest film in American cinema (behind *Citizen Kane*) by the American Film Institute. It was followed by sequels *The Godfather Part II* (1974) and *The Godfather Part III* (1990). Pauline Kael wrote that “If ever there was a great example of how the best popular movies come out of a merger of commerce and art, *The Godfather* is it.

**The End of the Vietnam War**

Summary: The End of the Vietnam War (November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975) officially ended on April 30, 1975 although direct U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973.

**The First Earth Day (1970)**

Summary: The first Earth Day was established following the disastrous 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. It was organized by Gaylord Nelson and held on Wednesday, April 22, 1970 as a large-scale demonstration on behalf of the environment which came to be known as "Earth Day".

**The 1970 Clean Air Act**

Summary: Richard Nixon signed the extension to the Clean Air Act in 1970 aimed at phasing out leaded gas by the mid-1980s, and  the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 9, 1970.

**Roe v Wade (1973)**

Summary: The Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade declared that all the individual state bans on abortion, during the first trimester, to be unconstitutional. The law allowed states to regulate, but not to ban, abortion during the second trimester and allowed states to ban abortion in all trimesters, unless abortion was in the best interest of the woman's physical or mental health.

**The Arab-Israeli Conflict (1973)**

Summary: The 1973 Arab-Israeli Conflict, aka the Yom Kippur War, was fought from October 6 to October 25, 1973 by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria (supported by USSR) against Israel (supported by USA).

**The Watergate Scandal (1974)**

Summary: The conspiracy and cover-up of the Watergate Break-in led to the Watergate Scandal. President  Richard Nixon and many of his aides were implicated in the web of lies and conspiracies and the Watergate Scandal culminated in the president's resignation on August 9, 1974. Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.

## Post Presidency

### Pardon and illness

Following his resignation, the Nixons flew to their home La Casa Pacifica in San Clemente, California. According to his biographer, Jonathan Aitken, "Nixon was a soul in torment" after his resignation. Congress had funded Nixon's transition costs, including some salary expenses, though reducing the appropriation from $850,000 to $200,000. With some of his staff still with him, Nixon was at his desk by 7:00 a.m. with little to do. His former press secretary, Ron Ziegler, sat with him alone for hours each day.

Nixon's resignation had not put an end to the desire among many to see him punished. The Ford White House considered a pardon of Nixon, even though it would be unpopular in the country. Nixon, contacted by Ford emissaries, was initially reluctant to accept the pardon, but then agreed to do so. Ford insisted on a statement of contrition, but Nixon felt he had not committed any crimes and should not have to issue such a document. Ford eventually agreed, and on September 8, 1974, he granted Nixon a "full, free, and absolute pardon", which ended any possibility of an indictment. Nixon then released a statement:

> I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy. No words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency, a nation I so deeply love, and an institution I so greatly respect.
>
>

In October 1974, Nixon fell ill with phlebitis. Told by his doctors that he could either be operated on or die, a reluctant Nixon chose surgery, and President Ford visited him in the hospital. Nixon was under subpoena for the trial of three of his former aides—Dean, Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman—and *The Washington Post*, disbelieving his illness, printed a cartoon showing Nixon with a cast on the "wrong foot". Judge John Sirica excused Nixon's presence despite the defendants' objections. Congress instructed Ford to retain Nixon's presidential papers—beginning a three-decade legal battle over the documents that was eventually won by the former president and his estate. Nixon was in the hospital when the 1974 midterm elections were held, and Watergate and the pardon were contributing factors to the Republican loss of 49 seats in the House and four in the Senate.

### Return to public life

In December 1974, Nixon began planning his comeback despite the considerable ill will against him in the country. He wrote in his diary, referring to himself and Pat,

> So be it. We will see it through. We've had tough times before and we can take the tougher ones that we will have to go through now. That is perhaps what we were made for—to be able to take punishment beyond what anyone in this office has had before particularly after leaving office. This is a test of character and we must not fail the test.
>
>

By early 1975, Nixon's health was improving. He maintained an office in a Coast Guard station 300 yards (270 m) from his home, at first taking a golf cart and later walking the route each day; he mainly worked on his memoirs. He had hoped to wait before writing his memoirs; the fact that his assets were being eaten away by expenses and lawyer fees compelled him to begin work quickly. He was handicapped in this work by the end of his transition allowance in February, which compelled him to part with many of his staff, including Ziegler. In August of that year, he met with British talk-show host and producer David Frost, who paid him $600,000 (equivalent to $3.3 million in 2022) for a series of sit-down interviews, filmed and aired in 1977. They began on the topic of foreign policy, recounting the leaders he had known, but the most remembered section of the interviews was that on Watergate. Nixon admitted he had "let down the country" and that "I brought myself down. I gave them a sword and they stuck it in. And they twisted it with relish. And, I guess, if I'd been in their position, I'd have done the same thing." The interviews garnered 45–50 million viewers—becoming the most-watched program of its kind in television history.

The interviews helped improve Nixon's financial position—at one point in early 1975 he had only $500 in the bank—as did the sale of his Key Biscayne property to a trust set up by wealthy friends of Nixon, such as Bebe Rebozo. In February 1976, Nixon visited China at the personal invitation of Mao. Nixon had wanted to return to China but chose to wait until after Ford's own visit in 1975. Nixon remained neutral in the close 1976 primary battle between Ford and Reagan. Ford won, but was defeated by Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in the general election. The Carter administration had little use for Nixon and blocked his planned trip to Australia, causing the government of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to withhold its official invitation.

In 1976, Nixon was disbarred by the New York State Bar Association for obstruction of justice in the Watergate affair. He chose not to present any defense. In early 1978, he visited the United Kingdom; there, he was shunned by American diplomats, most ministers of the James Callaghan government, and two former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan and Edward Heath. He was welcomed, however, by the Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, as well as by former prime ministers Lord Home and Sir Harold Wilson. Nixon addressed the Oxford Union regarding Watergate:

> [Some people] felt that on this matter that I had not handled it properly, and they were right. I screwed it up and I paid the price.
>
>

### Author and elder statesman

In 1978, Nixon published his memoirs, *RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon*, the first of ten books he was to author in his retirement. Ferrell deemed it one of the better presidential memoirs, candid and capturing its author's voice; he deemed rise up the bestseller lists justified. Nixon visited the White House in 1979, invited by Carter for the state dinner for Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping. Carter had not wanted to invite Nixon, but Deng had said he would visit Nixon in California if the former president was not invited. Nixon had a private meeting with Deng and visited Beijing again in mid-1979.

On August 10, 1979, the Nixons purchased a 12‐room condominium occupying the seventh floor of 817 Fifth Avenue New York City after being rejected by two Manhattan co-ops. When the deposed Shah of Iran died in Egypt in July 1980, Nixon defied the State Department, which intended to send no U.S. representative, by attending the funeral. Though Nixon had no official credentials, as a former president he was seen as the American presence at its former ally's funeral. Nixon supported Ronald Reagan for president in 1980, making television appearances portraying himself as, in biographer Stephen Ambrose's words, "the senior statesman above the fray". He wrote guest articles for many publications both during the campaign and after Reagan's victory. After eighteen months in the New York City townhouse, Nixon and his wife moved in 1981 to Saddle River, New Jersey.

Throughout the 1980s, Nixon maintained an ambitious schedule of speaking engagements and writing, traveled, and met with many foreign leaders, especially those of Third World countries. He joined former Presidents Ford and Carter as representatives of the United States at the funeral of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. On a trip to the Middle East, Nixon made his views known regarding Saudi Arabia and Libya, which attracted significant U.S. media attention; *The Washington Post* ran stories on Nixon's "rehabilitation". Nixon visited the Soviet Union in 1986 and on his return sent President Reagan a lengthy memorandum containing foreign policy suggestions and his personal impressions of Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Following this trip, Nixon was ranked in a Gallup poll as one of the ten most admired men in the world.

In 1986, Nixon addressed a convention of newspaper publishers, impressing his audience with his *tour d'horizon* of the world. At the time, political pundit Elizabeth Drew wrote, "Even when he was wrong, Nixon still showed that he knew a great deal and had a capacious memory, as well as the capacity to speak with apparent authority, enough to impress people who had little regard for him in earlier times." *Newsweek* ran a story on "Nixon's comeback" with the headline "He's back".

On July 19, 1990, the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California opened as a private institution with the Nixons in attendance. They were joined by a large crowd of people, including Presidents Ford, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as their wives, Betty, Nancy, and Barbara. In January 1994, the former president founded the Nixon Center (today the Center for the National Interest), a Washington policy think tank and conference center.

Pat Nixon died on June 22, 1993, of emphysema and lung cancer. Her funeral services were held on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace. Former President Nixon was distraught throughout the interment and delivered a tribute to her inside the library building.

## Death

Nixon suffered a severe stroke on April 18, 1994, while preparing to eat dinner in his home at Park Ridge, New Jersey. A blood clot resulting from the atrial fibrillation he had suffered for many years had formed in his upper heart, broken off, and traveled to his brain. He was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, initially alert but unable to speak or to move his right arm or leg. Damage to the brain caused swelling (cerebral edema), and Nixon slipped into a deep coma. He died at 9:08 p.m. on April 22, 1994, with his daughters at his bedside. He was 81 years old.

Nixon's funeral took place on April 27, 1994, in Yorba Linda, California. Eulogists at the Nixon Library ceremony included President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, California Governor Pete Wilson, and the Reverend Billy Graham. Also in attendance were former Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and their wives.

Richard Nixon was buried beside his wife Pat on the grounds of the Nixon Library. He was survived by his two daughters, Tricia and Julie, and four grandchildren. In keeping with his wishes, his funeral was not a full state funeral, though his body did lie in repose in the Nixon Library lobby from April 26 to the morning of the funeral service. Mourners waited in line for up to eight hours in chilly, wet weather to pay their respects. At its peak, the line to pass by Nixon's casket was three miles long with an estimated 42,000 people waiting.

## Facts and trivia

* Richard Nixon is the only President in American history to resign the office.
* Nixon's mother was a Quaker, and his father converted from Methodism to the Quaker faith. Through his mother, he was a descendant of the early English settler Thomas Cornell, who was also an ancestor of Ezra Cornell, the founder of Cornell University, as well as of Jimmy Carter and Bill Gates.
* Nixon's upbringing was influenced by Quaker observances of the time such as abstinence from alcohol, dancing, and swearing. Nixon had four brothers: Harold (1909–1933), Donald (1914–1987), Arthur (1918–1925), and Edward (1930–2019). Four of the five Nixon boys were named after kings who had ruled in medieval or legendary Britain; Richard, for example, was named after Richard the Lionheart. Nixon's early life was marked by hardship, and he later quoted a saying of Eisenhower to describe his boyhood: "We were poor, but the glory of it was we didn't know it".
* At the start of his junior year in September 1928, Richard's parents permitted him to transfer to Whittier High School. At Whittier, Nixon suffered his first election defeat when he lost his bid for student body president.
* Nixon was offered a tuition grant to attend Harvard University, but with Harold's continued illness requiring his mother's care, Richard was needed at the store. He remained in his hometown, enrolled at Whittier College in September 1930, and his expenses were met by a bequest from his maternal grandfather.
* After graduating *summa cum laude* with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Whittier in 1934, Nixon was accepted at the new Duke University School of Law, which offered scholarships to top students, including Nixon. It paid high salaries to its professors, many of whom had national or international reputations. The number of scholarships was greatly reduced for second- and third-year students, creating intense competition. Nixon kept his scholarship, was elected president of the Duke Bar Association, inducted into the Order of the Coif, and graduated third in his class in June 1937.
* In January 1938 Nixon was cast in the Whittier Community Players production of *The Dark Tower*. There he played opposite a high school teacher named Thelma "Pat" Ryan. Nixon described it in his memoirs as "a case of love at first sight"—for Nixon only, as Pat Ryan turned down the young lawyer several times before agreeing to date him. Once they began their courtship, Ryan was reluctant to marry Nixon; they dated for two years before she assented to his proposal. They wed in a small ceremony on June 21, 1940. After a honeymoon in Mexico, the Nixons began their married life in Whittier. They had two daughters, Tricia (born 1946) and Julie (born 1948).
* In addition to serving in the U.S. Navy, Nixon served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, representing California.
* Nixon was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party's presidential nominee in the 1952 election, and served for eight years as the vice president, becoming one of the youngest to serve in that office.
* He ran for president in 1960, narrowly lost to John F. Kennedy, then failed again in a 1962 race for governor of California, after which time it was widely believed that his political career was over. However, in 1968, he made another run for the presidency and was elected, defeating Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace in a close contest.