Question

which president resigned before completing his term

Answer 1

On August 8, 1974, a unique and tragic event in American politics occurred as President Richard M. Nixon spoke on TV to the American public announcing his decision to resign the presidency. Nixon's decision came after the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives voted to recommend his impeachment.

The collapse of support in the Congress marked the end of Nixon's two-year battle against news media, government agencies, the Senate and House of Representatives and the U.S. Supreme Court - all stemming from a break-in that occurred on the night of June 17, 1972, when five burglars entered the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.

Subsequent investigations revealed the burglars were actually agents hired by the Committee for the Re-election of the President. A long chain of events then followed in which the president and top aides became involved in an extensive coverup of White House-sanctioned illegal activities. The coverup snowballed and increased the president's troubles as Nixon and White House aides attempted to use the prestige and power of the presidency to hide the truth and thereby obstruct justice.

The Senate then held televised hearings investigating the conduct of White House officials, leading to the resignation of several of Nixon's top aides as they became implicated. The House Judiciary Committee also began an inquiry as to whether Nixon had committed impeachable offenses.

During the Senate investigation, a Nixon aide revealed the President had installed a bugging system in the Oval Office and recorded most conversations on tape. Under intense pressure, Nixon released edited transcripts in the spring of 1974, containing his conversations. The transcripts caused a national sensation, exposing Nixon as a cynical man who frequently used obscene language, in contrast to his carefully tailored public image.

The transcripts also revealed the President was deeply involved in managing the coverup, sometimes on a daily basis. As a result Nixon lost most of his political support and following further revelations implicating him in more illegal coverup activities, Nixon chose to resign and avoid the prospect of an impeachment vote by the full Congress. He thus became the only President ever to resign.

Vice President Gerald Ford succeeded him on August 9, 1974, and a month later granted Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he might have committed while president.

http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/nixon.htm