.

Saturday marks the 35^th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation.  On August 8, 1974, after having denied any involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal, and under pressure from nearly every politician in Washington, Richard Milhous Nixon officially became the first president in United States History to resign from the highest office in the country.  Gerald Ford was sworn in the next day to take over the role of US President.

The Watergate Scandal had already begun to taint the waters during the 1972 presidential elections; still, Nixon was re-elected in a landslide against his Democrat opponent, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.  By this time, five men had already been arrested in the middle of the night for their attempts to break into the DNC headquarters at Watergate Hotel in D.C., a large sum of money in the form of a campaign check for Nixon appeared in the bank account of one of the burglars and the FBI had already determined the attempted break-in was a result of a large spy and sabotage effort ordered by Nixon.  The American public either didn’t care or didn’t believe the accusations that were beginning to surface.

Among other illegal activities, the office of a psychiatrist, who had been providing counseling services to a former defense analyst, Daniel Ellsberg, was burglarized and his confidential medical records stolen.  Ellsberg was the first one who leaked the scandal that would eventually and permanently taint politics.

In an address in November, 1973, President Nixon announced to the American public, “I’m not a crook” and once again reiterated his innocence.  Still, he chose to resign nine months later.  After President Ford assumed the role of president, he pardoned Nixon of all charges relating to the Watergate case.  In his announcement, he said, “… I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.”; and in one fell swoop, the former president was absolved.

Former President Nixon died in April, 1994.