On This Day: In 1974, Nixon Resigned as US President
On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon became the first and only US president to voluntarily resign from office — the price of the Watergate scandal.
Fifty-two years ago, on August 9, 1974, an event took place that remains unique in American political history — President Richard Nixon left the White House, voluntarily stepping down from the nation's highest office.
Nixon remains the only president in the history of the United States to have chosen to leave office on his own, rather than complete his term or be forced out through a formal removal process. This decision came at a high political cost, resulting directly from the Watergate scandal, which had spent years undermining his administration's credibility and ultimately made staying in power untenable.
A historic precedent
Nixon's resignation became a symbolic moment demonstrating that not even the highest office in the country is shielded from accountability when laws and political ethics are violated. The event is still remembered today as an example of how a scandal can bring even a powerful political career to an end.
