Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, Nixon previously served as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, having risen to national prominence as a representative and senator from California. After five years in the White House that saw the conclusion to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, he became the only president to resign from the office, following the Watergate scandal. The scandal, his resignation, his designation as 'Tricky Dicky' and his recognizable voice, made him a prime target for Mork's mimicry and comments.
About Richard Nixon (The Scandal Years)[]
The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included "dirty tricks," such as bugging the offices of political opponents, and the harassment of activist groups and political figures. The activities were brought to light after five men were caught breaking into the Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972. The Washington Post picked up on the story; reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward relied on an informant known as "Deep Throat"—later revealed to be Mark Felt, associate director at the FBI—to link the men to the Nixon administration. Nixon downplayed the scandal as mere politics, calling news articles biased and misleading. A series of revelations made it clear that the Committee to Re-elect President Nixon, and later the White House, were involved in attempts to sabotage the Democrats.
In July 1973, White House aide Alexander Butterfield testified under oath to Congress that Nixon had a secret taping system and recorded his conversations and phone calls in the Oval Office. In November, Nixon's lawyers revealed that a tape of conversations held in the White House on June 20, 1972, had an 181⁄2 minute gap. Rose Mary Woods, the President's personal secretary, claimed responsibility for the gap, saying that she had accidentally wiped the section while transcribing the tape, but her story was widely mocked. Though Nixon lost much popular support, even from his own party, he rejected accusations of wrongdoing and vowed to stay in office. On November 17, 1973, during a televised question-and-answer session, Nixon said, "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got."
The scandal grew to involve a slew of additional allegations against the President, ranging from the improper use of government agencies to accepting gifts in office and his personal finances and taxes. But one of the new tapes, recorded soon after the break-in, demonstrated that Nixon had been told of the White House connection to the Watergate burglaries soon after they took place, and had approved plans to thwart the investigation. In a statement accompanying the release of what became known as the "Smoking Gun Tape" on August 5, 1974, Nixon accepted blame for misleading the country about when he had been told of White House involvement, stating that he had had a lapse of memory.[234] Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, Senator Barry Goldwater, and House Minority Leader John Jacob Rhodes met with Nixon soon after. Rhodes told Nixon he faced certain impeachment in the House. In light of his loss of political support and the near-certainty that he would be impeached and removed from office, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974.
Following his resignation, the Nixons flew to their home La Casa Pacifica in San Clemente, California
Mork's Multiple References[]
- Mork Moves In - Mork references Orsons' and The Elders having lost his first weeks report as being them pulling 'A Nixon' in a 'losing the tape' style.
- Mork in Wonderland, Part 2 - Exidon tells Mork and Marvin that his entire plan is on the roll of adhesive tape bar 18.5 inches (he had to tape up something).
- Stark Raving Mork - When Mindy calls him on lying to her about why he did what he did rather than telling the truth, Mork admits it and states he should buy a house in San Clemente (home to Richard Nixon's La Casa Pacifica mansion)
- Mork vs. Mindy - Mork tells Nelson, 'Listen none of your political jargon right now! I don't want any Nixonisms!'
- Jeanie Loves Mork - Mork channels Richard Nixon in an attempt to 'get serious' with Jeanie.
- Putting the Ork Back in Mork, Part 2 - Mork's possession during the Eggsorcism involves the voice of Richard Nixon
- Gunfight at the Mork-Kay Corral - Mork launches into an extended Nixon impersonation around helping Billy asking Rose Mary at the end if she got all that, and to erase it, referring to Rose Mary Woods, Nixon's personal private secretary.
- Twelve Angry Appliances - When the record starts to malfunction and fails to play, Mork tells the kids they bought it from Nixon's Secretary.
- Mork Meets Robin Williams - Mindy wonders if Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein had as much trouble getting to Nixon as she is having getting to Robin Williams
- P.S. 2001 - Mork has a pop at disgraced ex President Richard Nixon's staid persona, with his entire wit and wisdom fitting on a one page report.
Animated Series[]
- Mork Man Vs. Ork Man - When pleading guilty during his mock 'trial' of the two Downtown High students, Mork takes on the voice of Nixon.