5. Richard Nixon started as one of the brightest political minds and ended up being forever synonymous with corruption.
Arguably no American President has been so vilified as Richard Milhouse Nixon. The 27th President of the United States may have been a fine political strategist and might even have carried out one of the most remarkable political comebacks of all time, but he will forever be remembered for his fall from grace. Indeed, though his presidency coincided with the Moon Landings and the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War, all of these accomplishments are often overshadowed by the Watergate scandal.
While serving his second term, journalists learned that Nixon himself was personally involved in a plot to bug political opponents. The scandal broke in the summer of 1973 and, on August 9, 1974, Nixon went live on national television to resign from office. His resignation almost certainly saved him from a humiliating impeachment. Though Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, issued him with a presidential pardon, the damage was done. From being Vice-President at 40 and then one of America’s brightest political minds, his name had become forever associated with intrigue and corruption. It was a truly monumental fall from grace for such a proud and ambitious man.
However, some historians disagree that Watergate marked a real ‘fall from grace’ for Nixon. Indeed, it’s often argued that, even if he did make it to the Oval Office, he had a poor reputation long before his final undoing. Notably, he had earned the nickname ‘Tricky Dicky’ more than 20 years prior to the Watergate Crisis – so was it such a fall after all?
Related: Dark Side of Richard Nixon.