It is generally considered one of the reasons Ford lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. President Ford was heavily criticized and condemned for his pardon of Nixon, some charging that a deal had been made between Nixon and Ford.įord said no deal had been made and even went before the House Judiciary Committee to explain his reasons for the pardon, thus becoming the first sitting President to testify before Congress.īut the deed was done, and the criticism was harsh and widespread and continues to this day. (National Archives Identifier 299996) Photograph of President Gerald Ford Announcing His Decision to Grant a Pardon to Former President Richard Nixon. Presidential Proclamation 4311 of September 8, 1974, by President Gerald R. Nixon’s letter of resignation and Ford’s subsequent pardon are among the holdings of the National Archives. They are on display in the in the East Rotunda Gallery at the National Archives in Washington, DC, from August 8 to 11, 2014.
#YOUR NOT A QUITTER TRIAL#
In the proclamation, President Ford cited the “tranquility to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks”-Nixon’s resignation-“could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States.”įord wholeheartedly believed that a trial would only bring more division as well as “exposing to further punishment and degradation of a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.” Gerald Ford opened a new chapter when he issued a highly controversial Proclamation Granting Pardon to Richard Nixon. The story of Nixon’s resignation may have ended there, but on September 8, 1974, newly sworn-in President R. The next day, on August 9, 1974, President Nixon sent his resignation letter to Secretary of State Henry A. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.” Richard M. But as President, I must put the interest of America first.” He then announced, “I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. On the night of August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation to the American people live via television and radio. To an anxious public, President Nixon explained, “I have never been a quitter.
(Richard Nixon Presidential Library, National Archives) President Richard Nixon’s Resignation Speech, August 8, 1974. Facing certain impeachment and removal from office, Nixon decided to resign. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that the President be impeached.
Until 1974, Congress had only once attempted to impeach the President-Andrew Johnson in 1868. Section 4 of Article II of the United States Constitution states, “The President, Vice President, and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” As we approach the 40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation, we take a moment to reflect on that period in our history. The story of Watergate and the Nixon administration’s involvement has become synonymous with government scandal. The aftermath brought the first resignation of a sitting President, a pardon, and a national uproar. Nixon’s resignation.Įarly on the morning of June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. August 8 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard M. Today’s post comes from Emma Rothberg, intern in the National Archives History Office in Washington, DC.
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