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A political leader of the twentieth century. A member of Congress in the late 1940s, Nixon came to national attention through his strong support for the investigation of the alleged communist Alger Hiss . He was elected vice president twice under President Dwight D. Eisenhower , but narrowly lost the presidential election of 1960 to John F. Kennedy . He ran for governor of California two years later, was defeated again, and left politics for several years to practice law in New York City . Nixon reemerged as the Republican presidential candidate in 1968 and defeated Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace in the election. The best-remembered events of his presidency were his visits to the People's Republic of China and to the Soviet Union ; a cease-fire in Vietnam and withdrawal of United States forces from that country; and the Watergate scandal, which led to his downfall. In 1974, under immediate threat of impeachment , he became the first president to resign from office.