Francis A. Nixon

Francis A. Nixon
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Name	Francis A. Nixon
Birth name	Francis Anthony Nixon
Birth date	3 December 1878
Birth place	McArthur, Ohio, U.S.
Death date	4 September 1956
Death place	Whittier, California, U.S.
Occupation	Businessman, farmer
Spouse	Hannah Milhous (m. 1908)
Children	5, including Harold, Richard, and Donald

Francis A. Nixon was an American businessman and the father of the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon. A figure of modest origins, his life was characterized by a series of entrepreneurial ventures, strong Quaker convictions, and a profound influence on the political outlook of his famous son. His journey from a Ohio farm to a California citrus grove encapsulates a period of significant western migration and socioeconomic change in the early 20th century.

Early life and family

Francis Anthony Nixon was born in the small village of McArthur, Ohio, to Samuel Brady Nixon and Sarah Ann Wadsworth Nixon. His early years were spent in the agricultural communities of Vinton County, Ohio, where his family faced considerable economic hardship. The death of his mother when he was seven years old marked a difficult childhood, and he received only a limited formal education in local schools. As a young man, he left the family farm to seek opportunity, taking on various manual labor jobs across the Midwestern United States, including work on the Pennsylvania Railroad and in the Ohio oil fields. These experiences instilled in him a lifelong work ethic and a degree of skepticism toward large corporate interests.

Career and business ventures

Nixon's career was a testament to persistence and adaptability. After his time in Ohio, he moved westward, briefly attempting farming in Lindsay, California. He eventually settled in Whittier, California, a Quaker community, where he found more stable employment. His most notable and enduring business venture was the Nixon Market, a combination gas station and grocery store he opened on Whittier Boulevard. He later invested in a citrus grove in nearby East Whittier, though this endeavor faced challenges from frost and market fluctuations. Throughout these ventures, he was known for his intense, sometimes combative, style of management and his focus on frugality.

Religious and political views

Raised in a Methodist household, Nixon experienced a significant religious conversion after marrying into the prominent Milhous family, who were devout Quakers. He adopted the Quaker faith with characteristic fervor, though his interpretation was often more fundamentalist and emotionally expressive than the traditional quietism of his wife's family. Politically, he was a staunch Republican, influenced by the party's historical association with Abraham Lincoln and his own deep-seated mistrust of the programs associated with the New Deal and the Democratic Party under Franklin D. Roosevelt. His arguments around the dinner table profoundly shaped the early political consciousness of his son Richard.

Marriage and children

In 1908, while visiting family in Whittier, California, Francis Nixon met Hannah Milhous at a Friends meeting house. They married later that year, uniting the hardscrabble Nixon lineage with the established, pious Milhous family. The couple had five sons: Harold (1909–1933), Richard (1913–1994), Donald (1914–1987), Arthur (1918–1925), and Edward (1930–2019). The family endured great tragedy with the deaths of Arthur from tuberculous meningitis and Harold from tuberculosis, losses that deeply affected both parents and placed significant financial and emotional strain on the household.

Later life and death

In his later years, Francis Nixon continued to manage his business interests while witnessing the meteoric political rise of his son Richard, from Congressman to Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower. He lived to see his son serve as Vice President but did not survive to see him become President. Francis A. Nixon died of a strangulated hernia on September 4, 1956, in Whittier, California. He was interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California. His legacy is inextricably linked to the complex character and driven ambition of the 37th President, who often cited his father's struggles and convictions as foundational influences.

Category:American businesspeople Category:Parents of presidents of the United States Category:People from Vinton County, Ohio Category:People from Whittier, California