President of the U.S.A: Richard Nixon Quiz

Answer: California

Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California, on January 9 1913. His father was Francis A. Nixon and his mother was Hannah Milhous Nixon. His family were Quakers (with his father originally being a Methodist, but converted to Quakerism, the faith of his wife). His family owned a lemon ranch.

Answer: Thomas Cornell

Richard Nixon's mother was a descendant of Thomas Cornell (1595-1695) who was one of the first of the English to settle in Boston. He travelled to Boston with his family around aged 11, and became an innkeeper in the land when he grew up. He moved to Rhode Island in 1643 after selling his inn.

As well as Richard Nixon, Thomas Cornell is the ancestor of several notable Americans, such as Lizzie Borden, the accused axe murderer, U.S President Jimmy Carter, Secretary of State, John Kerry, aviation trailblazer, Amelia Earhart and American businessman, Bill Gates.

Answer: Whittier

The Nixon's lemon ranch was closed to business in 1922 and the family moved to Whittier, California, a city with a large Quaker community where Frank established a petrol station and grocery store. Richard did well in school here and was class president by the time he reached 8th grade.

Richard Nixon would later attend Whittier College as a teenager and then Duke University Law School, graduating in 1937. He was a member of the Order of the Coif, an honour society in America for law students.

Answer: Divorce

Richard Nixon regularly worked with wills and commercial law during his time as a lawyer. The commercial law cases mainly included issues with Californian petroleum companies. Nixon actively avoided cases involving divorce because women talking about sex made him uncomfortable. Wingert and Bewley was the first law company that Nixon worked for. He opened up his own branch of the company in La Habra, California.

By 1938, Nixon had also established his own business, a frozen orange juice company. California had a lot of oranges and Nixon tried to capitalize on this. The company he established was called CitriFrost, and it had several problems. One issue was that the orange juice was transported in plastic bags which broke easily. Another problem was that Nixon decided to freeze the juice itself instead of using concentrate, which would have preserved both the shelf life and the flavour. Nixon was involved in peeling the oranges and preparing the juice himself. CitriFrost went bankrupt after 18 months in business.

Answer: The Dark Tower

When Richard Nixon took part in the Whittier community's stage production of "The Dark Tower" in 1938 he was cast alongside Thelma "Pat" Ryan, where Nixon described meeting her as being "a case of love at first sight." Pat did not feel the same way. Nixon would pester her to go on a date with him continuously until he finally wore her down. He asked her to marry him on their first date in 1938 but she declined. Pat was partial to ice skating and although Nixon hated it, he learned to ice skate (injuring himself repeatedly in the process) to impress her.

Nixon married Pat in 1940. They had their honeymoon in Mexico. Pat was asked some years later why she agreed to marry him if he clearly annoyed her so much, and her response was "he was going places, he was vital and ambitious...he was always doing things."

Answer: Tricia and Julie

Tricia Nixon (later named Tricia Nixon Cox after marrying Edward F. Cox, an American lawyer) was born in 1946 in Whittier, California. She married her husband in the White House Rose Garden in 1971, when her father was president. Her and Edward had one son, Christopher Nixon Cox (born 1979), who followed his grandfather into politics, running for congress in 2010.

Julie Nixon was born in 1948. She later became Julie Nixon Eisenhower, after marrying David Eisenhower, the grandson of former American president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1968. Unlike her sister, Julie did not want the attention that came with a White House wedding ceremony, and instead eloped in a private event. She was more active in politics than her sister, giving disabled children tours around the White House and regularly taking part in speaking on the rights of the elderly and children, and her concerns regarding the environment.

Answer: Being a Quaker

Richard Nixon has been lauded for his military service because he had a legal reason to get out of it and yet still volunteered. He could have objected under religious grounds due to the religion of his upbringing. Nixon served in the military from 1942-1946, joining at aged 29. He received aviation training at Rhode Island. During his time in military service Nixon earned the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.

Nixon was released from active military duty in 1946. In 1953, he was promoted as Commander in the Naval Reserve, and in 1966 was made part of the Retired Reserve of the Naval Reserve.

Answer: Jerry Voorhis

Jerry Voorhis (1901-1984) was a politician who served five times in the House of Representatives. A Democrat, he was the first political opponent that Richard Nixon ever came up against.

Herbert Perry was a businessman and associate of Nixon, and it was he who wrote to the future president to suggest he run for the House of Representatives against Voorhis. Nixon replied to his letter in 1945, stating "I feel very strongly that Jerry Voorhis can be beaten and I'd welcome the opportunity to take a crack at him." Because Voorhis was busy with other congressional matters he was only able to devote two months of his time to campaigning, whereas Nixon devoted ten months to his opposition campaign. Voorhis also had to be hospitalised during the time he could have been campaigning due to a bout of haemorrhoids, spending two weeks in hospital.

Nixon defeated Voorhis by around 15,000 votes, with congressman Chester E. Holifield quipping "Jerry, he cut you to pieces" after one of their debates. Despite being obliterated by him, Voorhis sent Nixon a letter congratulating him on his win in December 1946.

By 1950, Nixon had been accepted into the United States Senate which he was a member of until 1953.

Answer: Checkers

Nixon faced criticism as a senator for the large sum of money being spent on his campaigning. Fearing this would affect his chances to progress politically, Nixon flew to Los Angeles and prepared to defend himself live on television. He proclaimed that he would only keep one gift at the behest of his daughters: a black and white cocker spaniel named Checkers.

This speech subsequently became known as the "Checkers Speech".

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Richard Nixon became the 36th Vice President of the U.S.A in 1953, serving under Dwight D. Eisenhower who was U.S President from 1953-1961. Nixon was recommended to Eisenhower by Republican Party officials, with Eisenhower having no preference or favourite to be his vice president. Nixon contended against Robert A. Taft who was the son of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of America. What went in Nixon's favour in his bid vice presidency was his opposition to communism and his relatively young age (he was 39).

As vice president, Nixon became known for his aptitude in foreign policy, travelling to dozens of countries. It was not all a positive experience however, with Nixon making headlines while in Caracas, Venezuela, after an angry mob threw stones at his convoy.

Answer: John F. Kennedy

Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy's contending for the U.S Presidency was the closest election of the 20th century in terms of results. Their debates were also the first televised debates of U.S presidential candidates. Nixon and Kennedy contrasted sharply in appearance. Nixon was pale, sweaty and sporting stubble, whereas Kennedy was tanned and neatly groomed. Kennedy won the presidency very narrowly at 112,827 votes (0.2 percent).

Nixon and his family returned to California where he wrote his first book, "Six Crises."

Answer: Hubert Humphrey

Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978) was vice president of America from 1965-1969, under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson began his presidency in 1963 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. George Wallace also ran for the presidency in 1968 but he ran as an independent candidate.

Nixon won every primary he entered, painting himself as a level-headed man of reason during turbulent times, some events of which were the Vietnam War, the assassination of Kennedy and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He pledged to end the Vietnam War and combat crime. Another close election, Nixon beat Humphrey by 500,000 votes. He was inaugurated in 1969.

Answer: Paris Peace Accords

Upon assuming office in 1969, Nixon was well aware that he had to honourably end the Vietnam War in order to be successful in his presidency. He thought that America would allow him around a year to cease U.S military activities in the war and thought he was capable of doing this. However, Nixon had ordered North Vietnamese base camps in Cambodia to be bombed within months of him being in office, which were known as the "Menu bombings" in order to prove that he was willing to escalate the conflict if necessary.

Nixon thought his increased bombings would make the opposition more open to negotiations. This did not work. Nixon wanted to appease America and withdrew some troops from Vietnam. He also met with President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam on Midway island on June 8 1969 to discuss resolving the conflict. Although Nixon had withdrawn troops, he remained involved in the war by funding and supporting South Vietnam's military. Complications arose in Nixon's plan, including the 1970 abdication of Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, leaving the shaky neutrality of Cambodia vulnerable.

The Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973. This was not an end to the Vietnam War, with Saigon falling to the communists in 1975, but the Paris Peace Accords meant that American troops were wholly withdrawn from the war.

Answer: Spiro Agnew

Spiro Agnew (1918-1996) was the 39th vice president of America. He was governor of Maryland from 1967 until he became a Republican vice presidential candidate in 1968. He was an outspoken character and regularly attacked anyone who would criticize Nixon's policies regarding the Vietnam War, etc.

Spiro Agnew had been accepting bribes and not paying taxes. In exchange for the dropping of political corruption charges, Agnew admitted to tax evasion and received a suspended sentence and a $10,000 fine. He was subsequently disbarred by Maryland's court of appeals.

Answer: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford (1914-2006) was the 40th vice president of America, and the 38th U.S president. After Spiro Agnew's resignation, Nixon asked his advisors who should be his next vice president and the advice was more or less unanimous that he should pick Gerald Ford. Ford accepted the nomination and ironically (in hindsight) remarked to his wife that the vice presidency would be "a nice conclusion" to his political career, unaware at the time that this path would lead him to the presidency.

Ford became vie president just as the Watergate Scandal was brewing. Upon learning of what Nixon had done and being told he could become U.S president, Ford and his wife were waiting to be moved into Number One Observatory Circle, the residence for the vice president of America. Ford, understanding the gravity of the impending Watergate Scandal, quipped to his wife "Betty, I don't think we're ever going to live in the vice president's house."

In 1974 when Gerald Ford was president, he pardoned Nixon for the Watergate Scandal.

Answer: Salvador Allende

Salvador Allende was the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until he died in 1973. To Nixon's horror, the president of Chile was a Marxist. Nixon talked the World Bank into ceasing aid to Chile as well the U.S government. He sent financial help to political opponents of Allende.

Nixon had reams of propaganda published against Allende, who would die under strange circumstances during a 1973 coup, in which Augusto Pinochet became president of Chile. America has since denied being involved in the coup.

Answer: Swans

Nixon first arrived in Shanghai on his trip to China, then travelled to Beijing in order to meet Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and leader of the country. Nixon met him once during his week long visit. Nixon was unaware the time that Mao was having some health issues, but Mao managed a joke during his meeting, saying "I voted for you during your last election", which Nixon was endeared by.

Nixon presented China with a gift upon his visit, a porcelain statue depicting swans. The sculpture took two years to be completed. An inscription at the bottom of the statue reads "To His Excellency Chairman Mao Tse‐tung and the People of the People's Republic of China From President Richard Nixon and the People of the United States of America." Only two other copies of the statue were constructed before the molds were destroyed in 1974.

Answer: Nixon supported Pakistan

Previous presidents before Nixon had kept fairly neutral regarding the conflicts between India and Pakistan. Nixon would not do this. India's friendly relationship with the Soviet Union was likely one of the reasons why Nixon supported Pakistan both in terms of military help and financial help. Nixon was also friendly with China after his visit to the country and China and Pakistan were on friendly terms. Pakistan was seen as an important country to remain on good terms with to combat communism and the influence of the Soviet Union in Asia.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Nixon ordered the deployment of the USS Enterprise, a navy aircraft carrier (which was the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier) to travel to the Bay of Bengal in order to show India that Pakistan had a formidable ally on its side.

Answer: Tapes in his office

Decades after the Watergate Scandal, many other political scandals have been nicknamed with "gate" at the end due to the incident being so notorious. In 1972, Nixon had several men break into the Watergate building, a hotel-cum-office building in Washington. These men were caught attempting to install listening devices and steal documents.

Nixon originally denied any knowledge of why the men had done this. However it was revealed that he regularly taped conversations in his office and those tapes were asked for. He refused to hand them over firstly, but when he complied the tapes proved that he was involved in the attempted coverup of the Watergate Scandal. The tapes also included Nixon using a lot of profanity, a far cry from the public image he had built for himself. Nixon resigned over the scandal in 1974 and Gerald Ford succeeded him as president.

Answer: Yorba Linda

Pat Nixon had died ten months before her husband and Richard Nixon was buried next to her near Nixon's childhood home in Yorba Linda, California. Reverend Billy Graham was a friend of Nixon's and performed his funeral service. It was raining heavily and over 50,000 people came to pay their respects, waiting for over 18 hours to pass Nixon's coffin. Nixon's first vice president, Spiro Agnew was at the funeral, as well as then U.S president, Bill Clinton, who read a eulogy at the service. Jimmy Carter, George H. Bush, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were among the former U.S presidents at the funeral.

Nixon had requested he did not have a full-blown state funeral when the time came and his wish was upheld.