Richard Nixon Becomes First U.S. President to Resign, Gerald Ford Sworn In as 38th President

On the evening of August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon addressed the nation and announced his intention to resign, effective at noon the following day. At noon on August 9, 1974, Nixon officially ended his term, departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn. Minutes later, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States in the East Room of the White House, declaring “Our long national nightmare is over.” Nixon became the first and thus far only U.S. president to resign from office. The immediate cause of his decision was the release of the “smoking gun” tape on August 5, which showed he had obstructed the FBI’s Watergate investigation from the beginning and destroyed his remaining political support in Congress.

Ford’s assumption of the presidency was itself historically unprecedented. He had become Vice President following the resignation of Spiro Agnew in October 1973 under Nixon’s nomination pursuant to the 25th Amendment. Ford thus became the first and so far only person to become President without winning a general election for either President or Vice President. He inherited a nation traumatized by two years of revelations about presidential criminality, including obstruction of justice, abuse of power to violate citizens’ constitutional rights, misuse of federal agencies for political purposes, illegal campaign activities, and contempt of Congress. The resignation appeared to vindicate the constitutional system’s ability to hold even the president accountable.

However, Nixon’s resignation—while politically necessary to avoid impeachment—also allowed him to escape full accountability. By resigning before the House could vote on impeachment articles approved by the Judiciary Committee, Nixon avoided the constitutional process designed for removing criminal presidents. He was never formally impeached, never faced a Senate trial, and never had to answer under oath for his crimes. The resignation established a troubling precedent: a president caught in extensive criminal conduct could simply resign and potentially escape prosecution. This incomplete accountability would be compounded one month later when Ford issued a full pardon to Nixon for all offenses he “has committed or may have committed,” ensuring that no criminal charges would ever be filed. The system had succeeded in removing Nixon from power, but failed to establish that presidents who commit crimes face the same justice system as ordinary citizens.