August 9, 1974

On this day in history in 1974 Gerald Ford became president after Richard Nixon resigned.

Resignations of the Administration

On the evening of August 8, 1974 President Richard Nixon resigned from his office as the 37th president of the United States, to be effective the next day at noon. He resigned after the infamous "Watergate scandal" came to light. In this, there was a break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters which eventually led back to Nixon's administration and abuses in power.

Gerald Ford being sworn in as the 38th president of the United States

Nixon wasn't the first of his administration to resign from office. Eight months earlier his Vice President at the time, Spiro Agnew, also resigned. His scandal was separate from Watergate, however. Instead he was charged with tax evasion and political corruption, which forced is resignation. Nixon then appointed Gerald R. Ford as Vice President. As a result, this made Ford the first president who came into the office through appointment rather than an election.