Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. His political career began as a Representative and Senator for California before he served as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower for two terms. Elected president in 1968 and triumphantly re-elected in 1972, his administration achieved significant foreign policy successes, including the historic opening of relations with the People's Republic of China and the initiation of the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, which led to the signing of the SALT I treaty for the limitation of strategic arms. Domestically, he established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ended the military draft, while also overseeing the completion of the Apollo program. However, his presidency was irreparably damaged by the Watergate scandal, which led him to become the first and only president to resign from office to avoid an imminent impeachment. His legacy remains complex, divided between significant diplomatic achievements and the constitutional crisis that ended his term.