Francis A. Nixon
Encyclopedia
Francis Anthony "Frank" Nixon (December 3, 1878 – September 4, 1956) was an American businessman and the father of U.S. President
Richard Nixon
.
Nixon was born in Elk Township, Vinton County, Ohio
, the son of Sarah Ann (née Wadsworth), a native of Hocking Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
, and Samuel Brady Nixon, who was from Smith Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Nixon moved to California
at the turn of the century after having been frostbitten
working as a motorman in an open streetcar in Columbus, Ohio
. After working as a farmhand and oil
roustabout, he attempted to cultivate lemon
s outside Los Angeles
. Nixon was raised Methodist
, but converted to Quakerism
when he married Hannah Milhous
on June 25, 1908. They had five sons:
After Richard was born, Nixon abandoned the lemon grove
, and the family moved to the Quaker community of Whittier, California
. Nixon focused on the family business, a store that sold groceries and Atlantic Richfield gasoline
but the family remained impoverished. Nixon's life was marked by the deaths of his two sons, Arthur and Harold, from tuberculosis
. He has been described as a "restless, frustrated, and angry man, a mean-spirited person who psychologically abused
his five sons and sometimes beat
them." However, Richard always spoke highly of his parents. He often spoke lovingly of his mother as a "Quaker saint," and began his memoirs with the words "I was born in a house my father built." Writer Jessamyn West
, a cousin of the Nixons, was in Frank's Sunday school
class for some time. She later described him as "a fiery persuasive teacher," and wrote that Frank Nixon's version of the social gospel
inclined her politically toward socialism
He was played by Tom Bower
in Oliver Stone
's Nixon
.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Nixon was born in Elk Township, Vinton County, Ohio
Elk Township, Vinton County, Ohio
Elk Township is one of the twelve townships of Vinton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,134 people in the township, 1,246 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, the son of Sarah Ann (née Wadsworth), a native of Hocking Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
Hocking Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
Hocking Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,812 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, and Samuel Brady Nixon, who was from Smith Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Nixon moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
at the turn of the century after having been frostbitten
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
working as a motorman in an open streetcar in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. After working as a farmhand and oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
roustabout, he attempted to cultivate lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s outside Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Nixon was raised Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, but converted to Quakerism
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
when he married Hannah Milhous
Hannah Milhous Nixon
Hannah Milhous Nixon was the mother of President Richard Nixon.She was born near Butlerville, Indiana, the daughter of Almira Park , who was from Columbiana County, Ohio, and Franklin Milhous, a native of Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio. She was married to Francis A...
on June 25, 1908. They had five sons:
- Harold Samuel NixonHarold NixonHarold Samuel Nixon was a brother of United States President Richard Nixon, the eldest of five children:*Harold Nixon*Richard Nixon *Donald Nixon...
(June 1, 1909 – March 7, 1933) - Richard Milhous NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
(January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) - Francis Donald NixonDonald NixonFrancis Donald Nixon was a brother of United States President, Richard Nixon.He was the third of five children:*Harold Nixon *Richard Nixon *Donald Nixon...
(November 23, 1914 – June 27, 1987) - Arthur Burdg NixonArthur NixonArthur Burdg Nixon was a brother of President Richard Nixon.He was the fourth of five children:*Harold Nixon *Richard Nixon...
(May 26, 1918 – August 19, 1925) - Edward Calvert NixonEdward NixonEdward Calvert Nixon is an American entrepreneur and the youngest and last surviving brother of former United States President Richard Nixon. He coauthored his memoir, The Nixons: A Family Portrait, with Karen L. Olson. The book was published in 2009.-Early life:Born in Whittier, California,...
(born May 3, 1930)
After Richard was born, Nixon abandoned the lemon grove
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
, and the family moved to the Quaker community of Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
. Nixon focused on the family business, a store that sold groceries and Atlantic Richfield gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
but the family remained impoverished. Nixon's life was marked by the deaths of his two sons, Arthur and Harold, from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. He has been described as a "restless, frustrated, and angry man, a mean-spirited person who psychologically abused
Psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder...
his five sons and sometimes beat
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
them." However, Richard always spoke highly of his parents. He often spoke lovingly of his mother as a "Quaker saint," and began his memoirs with the words "I was born in a house my father built." Writer Jessamyn West
Jessamyn West
Jessamyn West may refer to:* Jessamyn West , American writer* Jessamyn West , librarian and blogger...
, a cousin of the Nixons, was in Frank's Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
class for some time. She later described him as "a fiery persuasive teacher," and wrote that Frank Nixon's version of the social gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
inclined her politically toward socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
He was played by Tom Bower
Tom Bower (actor)
Tom Bower is an American actor who has appeared in a wide variety of television and film roles from 1973 to present. He played physician-husband Curt on The Waltons. He has held a number of prominent supporting roles including Dan Miller in the 2000 film Pollock and the gas station attendant in...
in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's Nixon
Nixon (film)
Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
.
External links
- Nixon Fun Facts via Nixon Foundation