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Patricia Ryan Nixon
1912-1993
[Richard M. Nixon]
Biography: Born Thelma Catherine Ryan on March 16 in Ely, Nevada,
"Pat" Nixon
acquired her nickname within hours. Her father, William Ryan, called her
his "St. Patrick's babe in the morn" when he came home from the mines
before dawn.
Soon the family moved to California and settled on a small truck farm
near Los Angeles--a life of hard work with few luxuries. Her mother,
Kate Halberstadt Bender Ryan, died in 1925; at 13 Pat assumed all the
household duties for her father and two older brothers. At 18, she lost
her father after nursing him through months of illness. Left on her own
and determined to continue her education, she worked her way through the
University of Southern California. She held part-time jobs on campus, as
a sales clerk in a fashionable department store, and as an extra in the
movies--and she graduated cum laude in 1937.
She accepted a position as a high-school teacher in Whittier; and there
she met Richard Nixon, who had come home from Duke University Law School
to establish a practice. They became acquainted at a Little Theater
group when they were cast in the same play, and were married on June 21,
1940.
During World War II, she worked as a government economist while he served
in the Navy. She campaigned at his side in 1946 when he entered
politics, running successfully for Congress, and afterward. Within six
years she saw him elected to the House, the Senate, and the Vice
Presidency on the ticket with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Despite the demands
of official life, the Nixons were devoted parents to their two daughters,
Tricia (now Mrs. Edward Cox), and Julie (now Mrs. David Eisenhower).
A tireless campaigner when he ran unsuccessfully for President in 1960,
she was at his side when he ran again in 1968--and won. She had
once remarked succinctly, "It takes heart to be in political life."
Pat Nixon used her position as First Lady to encourage volunteer
service--"the spirit of people helping people." She invited hundreds of
families to nondenominational Sunday services in the East Room. She
instituted a series of performances by artists in varied American
traditions--from opera to bluegrass. Mrs. Nixon took quiet pride in
adding 600 paintings and antiques to the White House Collection.
She had shared her husband's journeys abroad in his Vice Presidential
years, and she continued the practice during his Presidency. Her travels
included the historic visit to the People's Republic of China and the
summit meetings in the Soviet Union. Her first solo trip was a journey
of compassion to take relief supplies to earthquake victims in Peru.
Later she visited Africa and South America with the unique diplomatic
standing of Personal Representative of the President. Always she was a
charming envoy.
Mrs. Nixon met the troubled days of Watergate with dignity. "I love my
husband," she said, "I believe in him, and I am proud of his
accomplishments." She died at home in Park Ridge, New Jersey, on June
22, 1993. Her husband followed her in death ten months later. She and
the former President are buried at the Richard Nixon Library and
Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California
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