PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
the letter, Perry invites Nixon to consider being a “candidate for Congress on the Republican ticket.” At the bottom of the typewritten letter, almost as an afterthought, Perry scribbled in ink, “p.s. Are you a registered voter in California?” It could be argued that this correspon- dence marks the beginning of Richard Nixon’s political career. Six years later, with his political fortunes rising, Nixon visited Europe and had a historic meeting with General Dwight D. Eisenhower at NATO headquarters in Paris. Their half-hour discussion of politics and foreign affairs would leave a lasting impression on Eisenhower, who would ultimately select the young Californian as his vice-presidential running mate.
Vice President Nixon
Nixon’s two terms as vice president, from 1953 to 1961, are recounted in the next grouping of exhibits. Numer- ous photographs and biographical data found here clearly showcase Nixon’s growing influence on the international stage. Especially absorbing is a presentation detailing Nixon’s seventy-day, forty-five- thousand-mile, around-the-world trip in 1953. There are also numerous materials on display depicting Nixon’s authority as a domestic figure. Detailed explana- tions provide evidence of the role Nixon played as mediator between President Eisenhower and Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose House Un- American Activities Committee and its investigations made Eisenhower increasingly uncomfortable. Nixon was an early champion of another contro- versial issue—increased civil rights for African Americans—and an original letter from Dr. Martin Luther King, dated August 30, 1957, thanks Nixon “for your assiduous labor and daunt- less courage in seeking to make the Civil Rights bill a reality.” Yet most impressive of all the documents in this exhibit are those concerning Nixon’s handling of what were perhaps the two most significant crises of the Eisenhower administration: President Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955 and
52
u Original campaign materials, including photographs and placards, are among memorabilia on display from Nixon’s first, and unsuccessful, campaign for president. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a former senator and US ambassador to the United Nations, was Nixon’s running mate in the 1960 face-off against Democrat John F. Kennedy.
his stroke in 1957. A fascinating display details how, in the days and weeks following each crisis, all eyes were on Vice President Nixon and how his caution, poise, and restraint during those difficult times earned him the admiration of the nation.
First Run for President
In 1960, Nixon launched his own run for the presidency, and that campaign is nicely recalled in the next exhibition space, where text and photos succinctly map out the major players and key events associated with his face-off with Democratic presidential nominee John F. Ken- nedy. Here one finds an impressive collection of original campaign materials, including campaign buttons, an original copy of sheet music for the song “Nixon, the Man for Us,” and an assortment of Nixon- Lodge (Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.) lapel pins. There is also an original wrap- per from a “Nixon Bar” ice cream treat, embossed in blue ink with the candidate’s familiar long-jowled face. Also in this section of the museum is a lounge where visitors can watch
reruns of the Nixon-Kennedy debate on a sixties-era television set.
Private Citizen Nixon
Within a few years of losing the 1960 election to Kennedy, Nixon was out of politics. This period in Nixon’s life is known as his “wilderness years” and is documented in the next segment of photographs, biographical text, original letters, and other documents. Among these is a printed version of Nixon’s infamous comment to the press, uttered after losing the 1962 California gubernatorial race to Democrat Edmund “Pat” Brown. Nixon told reporters, “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
Ultimately, Nixon rose above defeat and entered one of the most productive and lucrative periods of his life. He and his wife, Pat, moved to New York, where he entered into private law practice. Nixon soon rose to distinction in New York legal circles due to his considerable celebrity, brilliant legal mind, and heroic work ethic. In 1966, Nixon
M A R C H 2 0 1 1
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82