On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon's letter of resignation as thirty-seventh president of the United States was tendered to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger by White House chief of staff Alexander M. Haig Jr. (1924- ), at 11:35 A. M. Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office at noon from Supreme Court chief justice Warren E. Burger in the East Room at the White House.
Ford's ascension to the presidency marked the ninth time in U.S. history that a vice president became president after his predecessor was no longer able to serve. The first eight instances were due to the president's death; Ford's rise to the office was the first following a presidential resignation. Ford had become vice president following the 1973 resignation of Spiro T. Agnew. (See Nixon entry for election results from the Nixon/Agnew campaigns.) This marked the first time in U.S. history that a vice president.....
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