Richard Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. (6) Nixon was raised by his parents, and had 4 siblings, all brothers. When talking about his mother Nixon said that, "Well, I have said that she was quite a remarkable woman, and I guess most of us say that about our mothers and really feel it, and each of them is, each in a different way. But I think in her case those characteristics that stand out, among many, are, first, great strength, great kindness. She had a soft manner about her in her speech and the way she acted." (7) Nixon's mother was a role model to him, and the lessons and support that she gave to him when he was young played a big role in him becoming a big political figure. (8) Unlike some former presidents, Nixon did not come from a rich family. They were more lower to middle class, and Nixon had to work hard when he was younger. (9) He recalls a time during the depression "You know, you hear about the -- the Depression was such a sad time. But I look back on that Depression in Whittier, I look back on law school and the rest, it wasn't a sad time. We had a good time. We had to work pretty hard." (10)
Nixon was accepted to Harvard University, but decided not to go and to instead stay close to home and attend the small school of Whittier College. (11) As he explained it "So I decided to go to Whittier and to stay at home, and they needed me, they needed me in the store. This was before Harold had died and so forth. There was no way that -- I'm sorry -- they needed me at that point, so I decided to stay there. That was before -- let me go back. After all, Harold, of course, was still sick. This was a time when the medical expenses were enormous-- 1930, '31, '32, '33, and so I decided to stay home, and I have no regrets." (12) He was needed to support his family, so according to him, staying close to home was the easy choice. Nixon's childhood gave him lessons that he would use later in life to help him in his political career. A few years later, Nixon kicked off his political career by becoming a U.S senator in 1950. (13) Two years later, he became Vice President for Dwight Eisenhower. When talking about his successful career Nixon said that "I won for the House, won for the Senate, twice for vice president, and twice for president" (14) From this point on, he was one of the biggest political figures in the United States, until he resigned in 1974.