Was president Nixon the first President impeached? Why was he impeached?

Answer 1

Many mistakenly assume Richard Nixon was impeached, but he wasn't. While the House Judiciary Committee did approve articles of impeachment against him (by wide margins) and did report those articles to the full House, Nixon resigned prior to House consideration of the impeachment resolutions. Both his impeachment by the House of Representatives and his conviction by the Senate were near certainties; Nixon reportedly decided to resign after being told this by Republican Senator Barry Goldwater.

Only two presidents have been impeached:
Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 after violating the then-newly created Tenure of Office Act. President Johnson was acquitted of all charges by a single vote in the Senate.
Bill Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998 by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury (by a 228–206 vote) and obstruction of justice (by a 221–212 vote). Two other articles of impeachment failed—a second count of perjury in the Jones case (by a 205–229 vote), and one accusing President Clinton of abuse of power (by a 148–285 vote). He was acquitted by the Senate.

Impeachment occurs so rarely that the term is often misunderstood. A typical misconception is to confuse it with involuntary removal from office; in fact it is only the legal statement of charges, parallelling an indictment in criminal law. An official who is impeached faces a second legislative vote (whether by the same body or another), which determines conviction, or failure to convict, on the charges embodied by the impeachment. Most constitutions require a supermajority to convict.

Answer 2

First President Impeached

Answer 3

Andrew Johnson, a Republican was Impeached by a congress of his own party, but failed to be removed by a single vote. The Republican who voted against Impeachment was ruined and never held office again.

30 Years ago history was written that said that that person was a hero. Today he is perceived as the same bigoted villain he was seen as at the time. The reason that Johnson was Impeached was that he succeeded in wrecking Reconstruction and freezing racial progress for another hundred years, that one vote allowed that to happen. And racial attitudes even a hundred years later, had a big effect on how it was perceived.

Richard Nixon did not believe he should have to follow the law, and that a president could do anything he wanted just because he was president. He also felt that getting re-elected was so important that any action no matter how unethical, or even criminal was justified to accomplish it.

He tried to hide his crimes, and mostly succeeded, but he was caught up over a burglary, and almost got away with that as well, but at the last moment they proved that and even his friends could no longer support him.

He resigned only when It became certain that all the votes were there to cause certain Impeachment. By avoiding Impeachment and being pardoned he retired with full benifits, and most of the criminals involved were never caught, or punished.

Like the case with Andrew Johnson, the criminals used that lack of conviction to say that the attack was wrong, and was a partisan exercise. They used that perception 26 years later in a genuine partisan exercise to try and overthrow the American Government, in the year 2000 they partially succeeded.

Now in 2007 there has been a partial victory to restore America to its old values, expect an epic battle for the rest.

Answer 4

Nixon was worse than impeached (overimpeached?). There was an impeachment bill in the house, and the predictions were that both impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate were virtually certain - well over 2/3 in both cases. Seeing this, Nixon resigned. Nixon was overimpeached for authorizing a burglary of Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building (to bug the place), handcuffing an FBI investigation of the burglary, and then lying about it (and then he lied about it all: "I am not a crook.")

Bill Clinton was impeached for doing stuff with Monica Lewinsky in the White House but was not convicted. Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating a law passed by radical Republicans forbidding him from dismissing cabinet officers without Congressional approval. He dismissed one anyway. Congress reacted by impeaching him; despite a more than 2/3 majority of Republicans in the Senate, Johnson escaped removal from office by a single vote. Goes to show. Every vote counts.

Answer 5

Nixon was not impeached. Only two impeachment trials have been held - President Jackson and President Clinton. Neither were removed from office.

The reasons for impeachment are outlined in the Constitution, Article I, Sections 2 and 3. These are the only reasons for impeachment.

Answer 6

Nixon was in fact not one of the two Presidents of the United States to be Impeached.

The two Presidents who were Impeached (by the House of Representatives) were Andrew Johnson and William Jefferson Clinton.

Neither of those two Presidents was Impeached by the Senate however, which is required to remove a President from office, so not even Johnson nor Clinton was fully Impeached as defined in the Constitution.

Nixon resgined before impeachment hearings could formally begin, then was unconditionally pardoned by President Gerald Ford.

Answer 7

Nixon was not impeached. Articles of impeachment were voted out of Committee but Nixon resigned before the House could consider them.

Answer 8

Andrew Johnson was the first U.S. President to be impeached by the House of Representatives, in 1868, for violating the Tenure of Office Act. (He tried to replace the Secretary of War without Senate approval.) He was acquitted by the Senate, by a margin of a single vote.

As the previous answerer mentioned, Richard Nixon resigned before impeachment proceedings could be carried out.

Bill Clinton was also impeached by the House of Representatives, for perjury and obstruction of justice. Like Johnson, he was acquitted by the Senate.

Answer 9

1) Nixon was not impeached. He resigned because he knew that he would be impeached if he didn't.
2) He was charged with lying under oath & obstructing justice. (sound familiar?)
3) Andrew Johnson was the 1st president to be impeached. Clinton was the 2nd. Neither was removed from office.

Answer 10

1st President To Be Impeached