NIXONNixon had a difficult youth with many trials and difficulties, which affected his character and his way of thinking about the world and himself. The premature death of two of his brothers caused him deep trauma. He had a lifelong inability to trust others. From the competition between his siblings, he gained a strong sense of competition and struggle and the belief that ultimately he was alone against fate and his enemies. He vehemently believed that “the mark of man is to be resilient and to continually come back from setbacks.” Nixon believed that the successful competitor never lets his enemies have the last word in a struggle of wills. Some of his cruel attempts to discredit his political enemies may have stemmed from the regular beatings his father used to keep Nixon in line. Nixon's ambition was the theme of his life story. Nixon was born in Orange County, California on January 9, 1913, the second of five sons of Francis A. and Hannah Milhaus Nixon. The Nixons were longtime members of the Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers. Nixon was nine years old at the time his family moved to Whittier, California, where his father owned and operated a local gas station and country store. He attended public schools until age 17, when he entered Whittier Collage, a small local Quaker institution. Success in student politics and strong debate skills crowned Nixon's college years. After graduating in 1934, he won a scholarship to Duke Law School in Durham, North Carolina. As his family lacked money to pay for housing and books, he found a part-time job. He graduated 3rd in his class and was elected president of the Duke Bar Association. Nixon hoped to pursue a career with the FBI in Washington, D.C., but returned to Whittier to join the city's oldest law firm. When the company opened a branch in La Habra, he transferred there and gained excellent practical experience. At the start of World War II, Nixon worked for six months in the Office of Emergency Management; an experience that he says left him disappointed with bureaucracy. While trying out for theater around this time, Nixon met Thelma Patricia Ryan, a schoolteacher, whom he married on June 21, 1940. Although he wanted to move to a big city company so he could better support His new wife brought World War II to Washington, where he worked in the tire rationing section of the Bureau of ...... middle of paper ......e American anti-hero. Self-taught, he achieved the American dream: he rose from humble roots to become president. He had the strength of will to hold on to his goal despite numerous setbacks. But his ambition ended up consuming him, and perhaps even his mind. This may have created the paranoia that was his ultimate undoing.BIBLIOGRAPHYBernstein, Carl and Woodward, Bob. All the President's Men. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975. Nadle, Laurie. The Mainstream of History: A Biography of Richard M. Nixon. New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1991 Maroon, Fred J., Wicker, Tom. The Nixon years 1969-1974: from the White House to Watergate. New York: Abbeville Press, 1999. “Richard M. Nixon.” Author unknown. Date unknown. “Richard Milhous Nixon.” Originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of American Political Parties. Date unknown. “RICHARD M. NIXON.” Tom Wicker. Date unknown. “Richard M. Nixon at a Glance.” Author unknown. Date unknown.>