Politics usually follows a script, but the Nixon era was more like a fever dream. If you’re asking who was Nixon's vice president, you aren’t just looking for one name. You’re actually looking for two. Most people forget that.
Richard Nixon’s presidency was the only time in American history that saw two different vice presidents serve under the same man, and neither of them was particularly "normal" by historical standards. First, you had Spiro Agnew, the combative former Governor of Maryland. Then, after a scandal that makes modern headlines look tame, you had Gerald Ford.
It was a mess. Honestly, the 1970s were a wild time to be alive in Washington.
The Rise and Sharp Fall of Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew was Nixon’s "hatchet man." That’s the best way to describe him. He wasn't there to be a policy wonk; he was there to attack the media and the "liberal elite." He famously called his opponents "nattering nabobs of negativism," a phrase that still gets quoted in political science classes today. He was the original populist firebrand before that was even a common term.
But while Agnew was busy defending Nixon and the "Silent Majority," his past was catching up to him.
The DOJ started looking into his time as Baltimore County Executive and Governor of Maryland. They found something ugly. Agnew had been taking kickbacks—literally envelopes full of cash—from contractors. The crazy part? He kept taking the money even while he was sitting in the White House. He was a sitting Vice President of the United States, and he was taking bribes in his office.
👉 See also: What Really Happened With the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz
By 1973, the walls were closing in. Attorney General Elliot Richardson had enough evidence to bury him. Agnew eventually pleaded "nolo contendere" (no contest) to a single charge of federal income tax evasion. He resigned on October 10, 1973. He became the second vice president to ever resign, but the first to do so in disgrace.
Enter Gerald Ford: The Man Who Didn't Want the Job
When Agnew bailed, Nixon was in deep trouble. Watergate was already starting to boil over. He needed someone "clean." He needed someone the Republican Party loved and the Democrats could actually tolerate.
He picked Gerald Ford.
Ford was the House Minority Leader at the time. He was a Michigan man, a former football star, and someone who generally had a reputation for being honest. That was a rare commodity in 1973. Nixon actually didn't want him—he wanted John Connally—but Congress basically told Nixon that Ford was the only one they’d confirm.
On December 6, 1973, Ford was sworn in. This was a historic first because he was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the 25th Amendment. He wasn't elected by the people. He was chosen by a president who was about to lose his own job.
✨ Don't miss: How Much Did Trump Add to the National Debt Explained (Simply)
Think about that for a second. Within a year, Ford went from being a Congressman to being the Vice President, and then, on August 9, 1974, he became the President.
The Transition That Defined a Generation
The shift from Agnew to Ford wasn't just a change in names. It was a change in the soul of the executive branch. Agnew was all about division. He loved the fight. Ford was the "accidental" vice president who was brought in to heal things.
When Nixon finally resigned in August 1974 because of the Watergate tapes and the looming impeachment, Ford stood on the inaugural platform and said, "Our long national nightmare is over."
It was a profound moment. But it was also complicated. Shortly after taking over, Ford did the one thing that almost destroyed his own political career: he pardoned Richard Nixon. People were furious. They thought a "corrupt bargain" had been made. Whether it was a deal or just Ford trying to help the country move on is still debated by historians like Rick Perlstein and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Why This History Actually Matters Today
We often think of the vice presidency as a "do-nothing" job. John Adams once called it "the most insignificant office." But the Nixon years proved that the person standing a heartbeat away from the Resolute Desk is everything.
🔗 Read more: The Galveston Hurricane 1900 Orphanage Story Is More Tragic Than You Realized
If Nixon had kept Agnew, and then Nixon resigned, a convicted felon would have become President of the United States. Let that sink in. The 25th Amendment worked exactly how it was supposed to, providing a bridge when the executive branch was crumbling.
Key takeaways from the Nixon-Agnew-Ford saga:
- Vetting is everything. Agnew’s scandals were local Maryland issues that the Nixon campaign simply ignored in 1968. It came back to haunt them.
- The 25th Amendment is a safety valve. Without it, the line of succession would have skipped to the Speaker of the House (Carl Albert, a Democrat), which would have caused a constitutional crisis during a Republican presidency.
- Reputation is political currency. Ford was confirmed because he had spent decades building trust in the House. In a crisis, people don't look for geniuses; they look for people they can believe.
If you're digging into this era, the best thing you can do is look at the original DOJ files on the Agnew investigation. It’s a masterclass in how federal prosecutors handle high-level corruption. Also, reading Ford’s memoir, A Time to Heal, gives a lot of insight into the sheer panic that was happening behind the scenes during the transition.
The 1970s showed us that the Vice President isn't just a backup. They are the insurance policy for the entire country. In Nixon's case, he had to cash that policy twice.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
To truly understand the chaos of the Nixon vice presidency, you should investigate the "Saturday Night Massacre." It happened just weeks after Agnew resigned and provides the essential context for why Gerald Ford had to act as a stabilizing force. You can find the original declassified memos at the Nixon Presidential Library digital archives. Understanding the timeline of October 1973 is the key to seeing how close the American government came to a total standstill.