President Richard M. Nixon resigns after Watergate scandal

I chose Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal, because I didn’t know much about him or how he was involved. I thought that this was one of the best 100 stories in the 20th century because everyone will remember that Nixon was the first President to be impeached.

After the Watergate break in and once it was out in the open, the House of Representatives recommended that he should be impeached on July 27, 1974. The next week he resigned as President and left the office on August 9, 1974. Although 30 of Nixon’s assistants and advisors had went to jail for their part in the Watergate scandal, Richard never stood for trial.

After his resignation he and Pat returned to their home in San Clemente, California. There is where Richard wrote his life story. By doing this he received $2.5 million from a New York publisher. This two volume book was called: The Memories of Richard Nixon. He was also paid $600,000 for the only television interview he did about Watergate. He had the interview in 1977. The reporter was David Frost. In this interview he said: “I let down my friends, I let down the country... I let the American People down. And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life. My political life is over.”

After leaving the office he led a very quiet and private life. His health was not too good. He nearly died from an attack of phlebitis, a condition in which the blood veins become swollen or blocked; he was saved by emergency surgery. He was also suffering from emotional depression, which almost led to him going suicidal. He told his friends, "I don't intend to just fade away." Richard later moved out of the West Coast, so so he could be closer to his daughters and closer to the governmental seat. They decided to love in New York, then a year later they settled in a large house in New Jersey.

Then he started to publish books like: The Real War, Leaders, Real Peace, No More Vietnans, In the Areana: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat and Renewal, and Seize the Moment. He wrote about these books, what he had accomplished as President, his views, and opinions.

I have learned that Richard Nixon’s life didn’t end after he resigned as president. He had his weak moments but he learned to stay strong. He accomplished many things while serving as president as well as after words. Richard was a good president, he helped the country out of many things. The Watergate scandal was something that he shouldn’t have been involved in, but he was. He was lucky that he wasn’t taken to trial and that he was only impeached. He could have gotten a lot worse, but he got lucky.

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