Richard Nixon has always been one of the most polemic and divisive figures in modern American history. Despite being mostly remembered for the Watergate scandal, he had humble beginnings, being born in a poor family and making his own way in politics until finally being nominated to be the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 elections. The Republican Ticket won by a landslide on that same year, officially making him the vice president of the United States of America. On September 24, 1955, President Eisenhower suffered a serious heart attack that had him hospitalized over the course of six weeks, in which Nixon and other cabinet members assumed most of the president's responsabilites.
This timeline explores a world where because of his hearth attack, Eisenhower dies of his heart attack in 1955, making Nixon seize power 14 years before he did it in real life, having to face the Cuban Revolution and the beggining of the Vietnam War. Since he had only been president for less than a year of the remaining term of his predecessor, he is allowed to run for what could be considered a third term in 1960, now against Hubert Humphrey rather than Kennedy, the latter remains in the Senate which would prevent his death and also the following presidency of his VP Lyndon B. Johnson.
Basically, the politics of modern America are shapen in a totally different way, and the legacies of most politicians we know being changed in some way or another.
Note from the author: This timeline will go through some revisions over the following days or months, so stay tuned! Pages may seem to contradict each other for some time but eventually they will all follow the new, revised lore.
President Dwight Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon
September 24, 1955: Incumbent President, General Dwight D. Eisenhower dies of a heart attack only three years into his term. Vice President Richard Milhous Nixon is sworn into office shortly after. At 42 years old, Nixon also becomes the youngest person to ever become President.
November 6, 1956: President Nixon wins a rightful presidential term by defeating Adlai Stevenson II, who had previously ran against Eisenhower.
November 7, 1956: The Suez Crisis comes to an end, shortly after President Nixon intervened in aid of the Egyptians; this represents a humiliation for the decaying British and French empires.
November 13, 1956: The Hungarian Revolution ends with the Sverdlovsk Conference. Hungary becomes a neutral nation similar to Austria.
January 3, 1957: Nixon appoints former Governor of New York and two times presidential nominee Thomas E. Dewey as Attorney General.
January 12, 1957: Nixon announces official American support to the United Kingdom, France and Israel in relation to the Suez Crisis.
March 21, 1957: The Suez Crisis ends. Gamal Nasser is overthrown and replaced with Mohamed Naguib as President of Egypt.
July 29, 1957: Nixon delivers his "Right Path" speech regarding the foundation of the IAEA, inspired by Eisenhower.
July 29, 1958: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA is founded following the launch of the Sputnik 1 satelite.
December 16, 1958: The Cuban Revolution ends only months after the involvement of the United States, starting the Occupation of Cuba with the intentions to "re-construct" the nation's democratic system, and meaning granted political asylum for the main heads of the revolution in the Soviet Union.
January 9, 1960: After some rumours that he wouldn't run, Nixon announces his re-election campaign and he soon after wins the nomination. During his campaign, he promises to bring peace to the ongoing Vietnam conflict.
Senator John F. Kennedy
January 22, 1960: Senator John F. Kennedy declines interest for running in the upcoming election.
July 11–15, 1960: Hubert Humphrey from Minnesota is chosen as the Democratic nominee to face Richard Nixon in the 1960 election. He picks Senator Albert Gore Sr. from Tennessee as his running mate.
September 7, 1960: Humphrey makes his polemic remarks about the Occupation of Cuba, stating the U.S. should "stop meddling" in foreign affairs, which is misinterpreted as him not caring about the expansion of Soviet influence.
November 8, 1960: Richard Nixon wins the 1960 election, entering what would be his last term in office. He now has to follow through with his promises regarding foreign policy, pay extreme attention to the Reconstruction of Cuba and put an end to the recent Recession. In contrast to the general election, the House and Senate show a preference for the Democrats. At the same time, Crawford F. Parker becomes Governor of Indiana.
March 29, 1962:President of Argentina Arturo Frondizi is able to remain in power thanks to a strong relation with the United States and the early end of the Cuban Revolution.
November 6, 1962: Ted Kennedy is elected to the Senate in the state of Colorado.
July 17, 1963: After many delays and polarization regarding it, the Civil Rights Act of 1963 is signed with the approval of President Nixon, and the support of many relevant senators such as Jack Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The act is significantly unpopular in the segregationist south, and the issue soon affects the Democratic Party that holds the Solid South; many southern politicians decide to split from the Democrats and form the "States' Rights Party" that goes against de-segregation in the United States.
A photo taken moments before the attempt
October 13, 1963: Richard Nixon suffers an assassination attempt in Indianapolis, while visiting Governor Parker. The perpetrator, Lee Harvey Oswald, is captured and later judged based on this crime.
March 10, 1964: The 1964 Republican presidential primaries begin and the race is clear to be between three frontrunners: Incumbent Vice President Henry Cabot Lodge, Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller and Senator from Arizona Barry Goldwater. Lodge eventually comes out on top after a close competition with Rockefeller. He picks Gerald Ford, a Representative from Michigan as running mate.
August 27, 1964: The Democratic National Convention chooses Henry "Scoop" Jackson as the nominee, while the States' Rights Party nominates Orval Faubus from Arkansas.
November 3, 1964: Charles H. Percy becomes Governor of Illinois, and Paul Laxalt is elected Senator of Nevada after defeating the incumbent.
President Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
November 6, 1964: Vice President Henry Cabot Lodge is elected President of the United States, mostly capitalizing on the achievements of the Nixon presidency. The Senate and House once again favor the Democrats.
April 29, 1965: President Cabot Lodge appoints John Eisenhower, son of the former President, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
May 7, 1965: The Vietnam War finally comes to an end thanks to the peace efforts started on the last administration, the Paris Peace Accords arbitrary divide the Vietnamese people in two states, a North-South dynamic similar to what happened to Korea after World War II. Although some see this as a victory for President Cabot Lodge, some conservatives see him as a coward for negotiating with the Communists rather than making efforts to take the entire territory.
November 8, 1966: After defeating incumbent Governor Pat Brown in the primary, Sam Yorty beats Republican candidate Ronald Reagan and becomes Governor of California.
September 17-October 2, 1967: A popular demonstration begins in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, as a protest to the American domination of the territory since the late 19th century. The intervention and subsequent occupation of Cuba angered the Puerto Rican nationalists that had already revolted against the Americans in 1950, and made them argue for a treatment similar to Cuba, referring to a period of transition that ended with Puerto Rico becoming an independent democracy. The provisional Governor of Cuba, Emilio Núñez Portuondo, spoke strongly against this movement, which hurt his reputation and popularity within his own nation. A part of the demonstration expanded into Washington D.C. making it seem as a much more urgent matter to the President. Two weeks after the initial conflict in San Juan, President Cabot Lodge made a public statement in which he promised to start negotiations for the independence of Puerto Rico before election year arrived.
February 8, 1968: Governor of Alabama George Wallace announces his run for the presidency as a member of the States' Rights Party.
August 23, 1968: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and Gerald Ford secure the nomination for a re-election bid.
Senator Kennedy on his campaign
August 24–27, 1968: The Democratic nomination is mostly fought between Senator from New York Robert F. Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, with the incursion of Edmund Muskie from Maine. Despite the Convention being mostly inclined against Kennedy, he eventually comes out on top, but doesn't get the endorsement of Johnson. Kennedy picks Ralph Yarborough from Texas as running mate.
September 30, 1968: The first of three televised debates are made between President Cabot Lodge and Robert Kennedy, with the exclusion of George Wallace. Despite the first one having mixed results on the popularity of both candidates, the debates would overall end up helping Kennedy more than Lodge.
November 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy wins the 1968 presidential election defeating the incumbent Cabot Lodge and independent George Wallace. Party fatigue and the short recession of the same year were the main factors in this result.
July 16, 1969: The Reconstrucción process ends with Cuba holding its first fully democratic election since the end of the Revolution, with Manuel Antonio de Varona of the Autentic Party being elected President.
August 9, 1969: Robert F. Kennedy orders the enactment of a referendum to the citizens of Puerto Rico in which they could decide if they wanted to remain as a commonwealth, be considered for the admission into the United States and gaining independence. The results overwhelmingly chose the later, and negotiations began by September of the same year.
September 4, 1970: Jorge Alessandri wins the 1970 Chilean Presidential election, beating the Socialist candidate Salvador Allende.
November 3, 1970: John Eisenhower is elected to the Maryland Senate.
Alexei Leonov next to the Soviet flag on the moon
December 10, 1970: Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and his crew part of the Luna 17 mission successfully land on the moon, meaning a gigantic victory for the Soviets and a great humiliation for the United States. Soon after, President Kennedy gave his famous "We choose to go to Space" speech, in which he stated his intentions to "beat" the Soviets on the Space Race. Mostly because of this speech and the ideas of RFK, NASA started working on an American mission on the Moon and even considering the idea of a Mars landing.
September 11, 1971: The Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, dies of a heart attack and is immediately succeeded by Alexei Kosygin as leader of the Union; Kosygin has similar ideas to those of Khrushchev and is considered a reformist.
September 27, 1971:Apollo 14 lands on the Moon and is heavily capitalized on by the Kennedy administration.
January 22, 1973: Lyndon B. Johnson dies of a heart attack; his seat in Texas is quickly succeeded by Henry B. González, while his position as Senate Majority Leader is later replaced by Ted Kennedy from Colorado. The latter would also remain in this position until his death in 2009.
February 23, 1975: Ítalo Luder becomes President of Argentina, ending 17 years of domination by the Radicals.
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