A President Resigns

Richard Nixon was elected president of the United States in 1968 and took office in 1969. His first term was spent building better relationships with China and the Soviet Union. When his first term ended, he had made a lot of progress.

In 1972, Nixon ran for a second term as the Republican nominee. Four men working on his reelection team broke into the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. This illegal break-in became known as the Watergate scandal. The intruders were seeking information to use against Nixon’s opponent.

The men were caught, but Nixon at first denied any connection and lied about his involvement. It took two years for the truth to emerge—that Nixon had known about and covered up the break-in.

Facing certain impeachment by Congress, Nixon chose to resign—the first U.S. president ever to do so. His vice president, Gerald Ford, then became president.