Aurora Starchild
Richard Nixon was one of the most controversial political figures in American history. He first rose to prominence as the Vice President to Dwight D. Eisenhower and later became the 37th U.S. President and first President to officially resign, due to the Watergate scandal. Behind the scenes, he also had a dedicated and loyal wife, Pat. They had two daughters together, Patricia “Tricia” and Julie.
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Patricia “Tricia” Nixon Cox
Patricia Nixon was born on February 21, 1946. Richard Nixon had just returned from four years of service with the US Navy and ran for Congress that same year. Tricia was a young adult by the time her father became President of the United States but was a child when he was Vice President. Raised in the limelight of politics, Tricia was often seen accompanying her parents at events in what was deemed to be a “ceremonial” role. Her Secret Service codename was “Sugarfoot.”
Tricia married Edward Cox in 1971 and has one child, Christopher Nixon Cox. Edward Cox is an American lawyer and was recently elected as Chair of the New York Republican State Committee. Christopher followed in his father’s footsteps and is also an attorney. He also is the CEO of an equity fund called Lightswitch Capital.
Tricia Nixon Was Almost Set Up with King Charles
Tricia Nixon Cox has kept her life very private over the years, but she was once considered a high-society debutante. According to King (formerly Prince) Charles, Richard Nixon once tried to set him up with Tricia many years ago.
Despite her often boxed-in roles as a daughter, or a later a wife, Tricia still pursued her own education. She graduated from Boston College in 1968 with a B.A. in English. Her mother fondly referred to her as “The Thinker” of their brood. Currently age 77, Tricia remains out of the spotlight but has been known to serve on medical research institution boards and the board of the Richard Nixon Foundation at the Nixon Library.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower
Julie Nixon was born on July 5, 1948. Her father became Vice President to Eisenhower when she was only 5. Although her mother Pat tried to keep Julie and Tricia out of the political spotlight, early life experiences inevitably shaped her future love life. Julie met Dwight D. Eisenhower’s grandson, David, when she was just a child. They later married in 1968 and have three children together.
Julie attended Smith College and later received a master’s degree in education from The Catholic University of America. She began dating David Eisenhower when she was a freshman at Smith, and he was a freshman at nearby Amherst College. They married within a couple years, and their union was considered to be highly influential in the realm of politics. They share three children: daughters Jennie and Melanie and son Alex. Jennie Eisenhower currently works as an actress and has appeared in films and shows such as Law & Order, Mona Lisa Smile, and Arthur.
Julie Nixon Is a Best-Selling Author
Like Tricia, Julie was a young adult while their father served as U.S. President. Julie was the Assistant Managing Editor of The Saturday Evening Post in her twenties and later became an acclaimed author. She wrote a New York Times best-selling biography of her mother, Pat Nixon: The Untold Story. During the Watergate scandal, she also tried to use her love of language to heal her mother’s pain. “Julie would often leave her copy of the new English edition of the New Testament on my bed stand, opened to some consoling passage,” Pat Nixon once said.
Julie currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Richard Nixon Foundation. And despite her family’s politics, she’s voted across the spectrum over the years. Julie Nixon Eisenhower supported Barack Obama in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012, and Donald Trump in the last two elections. She’s also given lectures across the country, often in support of her parents’ legacy.
