Upon retiring, Richard Nixon flew with his wife to the seclusion of his estate in San Clementine, California. His vice president, Gerald Ford, took the office and immediately gave Nixon a full pardon for all offenses against the United States. He justified this action by saying he wanted to put the whole incident in the past and that a long, drawn-out trial would have only further polarized the public. However, Ford was often condemned for decision to pardon Nixon.
After a few months, Nixon finally decided to come back to public life, starting with a public relations comeback. He met with British commentator, David Frost, for a series of interviews which received mixed opinions. He talked of contrition and pride, without ever admitting to any wrongdoing. The interviews were watched by many, and overall contributed to a more positive image of him.
In 1978, Nixon published RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon which was a very personal examination of his life, public career and White House years, which became a best-seller. He also went on to author several books on international affairs and American foreign policy, somewhat rehabilitating his public reputation and earning him a role as an elder foreign-policy expert.
On April 22, 1994, Richard Nixon died of a massive stroke, just 10 months after his wife had died of lung cancer. President Bull Clinton was joined by four former presidents to pay homage to the 37th president, and an estimated 50,000 people waited in heavy rain for up to 16 hours to file past the casket and pay their last respects. He was eventually buried beside his wife at his birthplace, Yorba Linda, California.
Sources:
https://www.biography.com/people/richard-nixon-9424076
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-ford-pardons-former-president-nixon
https://ryanrsanderson.com/tag/all-presidents-at-nixons-funeral/
I wanted to find out a bit more on Nixon's book and learned that there was actually a graet deal of controversy behind it. Nixon actually began the setting of his book on the same day that Ford was being sworn into office. The book would also be sold for $19.95, which was twice the price of a normal hardcover book at the time. There was even a group of men that came together to boycott the book, their slogan was, "don't buy books by crooks".
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/books/review/Fehrman-t.html
Thanks for this interesting blog! I always wonder what presidents do after leaving office, and Reagan was especially interesting as he was impeached; he could not continue his political career after leaving the White House. I wanted to learn more about the Nixon and David Frost interview and was surprised when the very first headline I encountered was about how Frost had coerced an apology for Watergate out of Nixon. After a long "self-imposed" silence, Nixon apologized for Watergate on Frost's show. Frost would later describe his Nixon interview as the highlight of his career. Frost was knighted in 1993 and interviewed other US presidents, including George H. W. Bush.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/world/europe/david-frost-known-for-nixon-interview-dead-at-74.html
Ryan -- What I thought was interesting about your post was the nuanced angle it took on. We celebrate our presidents or criticize them IN office but little do we discuss what happens after they disappear from the role and title of president. Whenever we near towards the end of a president's term, media starts to bombard individuals with "what will happen next?" preferring to involve them in scandals then report on the more quiet lives they may live. In the case of our most recent president, Barack Obama, I recall an article that stated "How much will Obama make once out of office?" How relevant is this to society and how much do we really want to know? Is it relevant because of tax payers money or simply builds on that stereotypical tabloid of gossip?
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://time.com/money/4641558/barack-obama-job-earn-after-president-white-house/