Instructions

This week, I want you to investigate the death, funeral, and historical memory of your favorite president and to post your findings to your blog. More than a
few presidents have died in office (in fact, every president elected in a year ending with zero between 1840 and 1960 died in office), but many others retired from
the presidency and lived post-presidential lives of various stripes, qualities, and length. In this visual presentation, begin (1) by offering details about your
president's final days (or whatever time period seems appropriate; for example, FDR's last year might be profitably studied while, say, Zachary Taylor died
suddenly and unexpectedly after eating fruit and iced milk, so his last day would be the focus). Once you have contextualized your president's final days, (2) offer
details about his actual death: what was the cause, was it swift, slow, an accident, etc.? Then (3) tell us something about your president's funeral and make sure
to include instances of other presidents (before, after, or while they were in office) attending it. (4) Finally, investigate the ways in which your president has
taken his place in American memory. Some (many?) presidents don't really have such a placeHarding, Coolidge, or Hoover, for examplewhile others remain
larger than life and are invoked as part of our national (political) discourse: both Roosevelts are good examples, as are Kennedy and Reagan. If your president
has little currency of this kind, ponder the reasons why and try to determine the cultivation of his memory in the years immediately after his death, when his
living memory would still have been strong. Use your imagination and cull all the resources you can.
When you're ready to submit, return to this page, click "Submit Assignment" and enter the URL of your blog entry so that I have an indication in the
gradebook that you have completed your work. Make sure to include a bibliography. Your presentation should take the form of a PowerPoint, Prezi, or some
similar visual platform.

After you post your work, go to read some of the blogs of your classmates. By commenting on their blog, tell them what you found interesting and offer
suggestions for future research.

PwC
Richard Nixons final days

Nixon acted as an author and an elderly statesman

Focused intensely on improving his image and financial situation through writing and speaking engagements
Pat Nixon died on June 22, 1993
Nixon suffered a stroke on April 18, 1994 at his home in Park Ridge
Spent his last days in a coma in New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan

Nixon and Clinton, March 1993 New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center

PwC
 Death
Death: causes and timeline
Monday, April 18, 1994, 5:44 PM EDT: Nixon suffered a stroke
Some details from Nixons medical record:
A blood clot, resulting from his heart condition had formed
Developed left leg enlargement, tenderness in the left
in his left atrium
calf and thigh and shortness of breath in September
1974 The clot broke off and travelled to his brain
In October 1974 , Nixon had groin pain and persistent New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center:
left leg enlargement, a retrograde venogram showed a
Conscious, stable condition, impaired vision, unable to speak,
clot extending into the left iliac vein, the vein was
unable to move his right arm and leg
clipped above the clot.
Tuesday, April 19: Nixons condition worsened, symptoms of
Lung scans showed evidence of pulmonary embolism in
cerebral edema (swelling of the brain)
the right lung*
Thursday, April 21: Nixon sank into a coma
Friday, April 22, 1994, 9:08 PM: Richard Nixon died,
surrounded by his daughters, Tricia and Julie

PwC
Funeral: guests
Attended by over 4000 people, including:
Tricia and Julie and their families
Nixons VP Spiro Agnew, who later died on September 17, 1996
5 presidents: Bill Clinton (in office), George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford
A foreign diplomatic corps of over 200

PwC
Funeral: ceremony

Nixon was honored at Yorba Linda

A military band played patriotic hymns
4 F-16 flew overhead in the traditional
missing man formation after a fifth plane
peeled off
21-gun salute, the public ceremony closed
with a Navy bugler playing taps,
The burial, next to Nixons wife of 53 years,
Pat Ryan Nixon, was limited to family
members

PwC
Funeral: ceremony

The funeral was officiated by the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham, a friend of Richard Nixon
Graham, Kissinger, Dole, Wilson, Clinton delivered eulogies
The funeral was the last major appearance of Ronald Reagan

PwC
Nixon in American memory
Nixon was a distant and enigmatic figure as seen backwards through a telescope.*
This is a man of many masks but who can say they have seen his real face?**
Nixon was the most respected man in America 4 years in a row
Nixon ranked among the worlds most hated men for 6 years in a row

PwC
Nixons image

Nixons political debut: widely regarded as a populist everyman, embodiment of traditional principles
of hard work, family, religion and patriotism.
he looks like the boy who lived down the block from all of us hes as typically American as
Thanksgiving*
Victim: a minority of Americans believed that Nixon was a victim of liberals, radicals and the media
Statesman: an elder statesman who redeemed himself after his resignation by offering sage
commentary on global affairs
Liberal: proposed a guaranteed minimum income, established the Environmental Protection Agency,
desegregated Southern schools
Overall: determination to stay relevant, everyone remained acutely aware of his re-
solve to control how others would perceive him

PwC