Exact Answer: After a month
Richard Nixon served the United States with the honor of 37th President (1969-1974). He was a worthy U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative. He was successful to end the fight in Vietnam and also succeeded to draw a good relation with China and U.S.S.R., but due to issues and involvement in Watergate Scandal, he was forced to resign.
President Richard M. Nixon’s one of best motives was Reconciliation. The scandal has aroused disrupts between many officials and also changed the politics of the American people completely. Due to the scandal, he resigned from the presidency post on August 9, 1974, which was further succeeded by Gerald Ford.
How Long After Nixon Resigned Was He Pardoned?
The Watergate scandal is one of the known events of the history of the 20th century where president Nixon along with his officers was found involved in activities that were considered illegal during the campaign and also tried to cover all those activities. The scandal was continued for a long but due to the pressure from the public and also when the congress party went against him, he finally resigned.
In the scandal, 69 people along with Nixon’s higher officials were arrested. Due to the power of the president, Nixon continued to prove his innocence before the court but failed in the end. Inspections were done even by media people like Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. When Ford took charge as President, he determined to solve the mystery of the Watergate Scandal. He decided to Pardon the ex-president, Richard Nixon for the Watergate scandal.
He announced on September 8, a full free order to Nixon against all the issues and crimes which he might commit during the period of his presidency. Most people including parties, the public, and the media were shocked and went furious by Ford’s decision as Nixon was completely involved in the crime which was done against the United States.
The scandal erupted during the 1970s, and the senate has allotted a committee for investigation. After much investigation, the court has finally ordered to release of the White House tapes. The tape, “Smoking gun” has revealed the participation of Nixon in the Watergate scandal. The tapes had provided enough amount of evidence to prove the guiltiness of Nixon.
| Period | Phases Of Nixon |
| 1969 | Elected as President |
| 1972 | Watergate Scandal |
| August 9th, 1974 | Resignation |
| September 8th, 1974 | Issued Pardon |
Why Does It Take That Long To Pardon Nixon After Being Resigned?
The Watergate scandal was the major scandal that was committed between 1972 to 1974, which forced President Richard Nixon to resign from the post on 9th August 1974. Gerald Ford became the successor of Nixon and the 38th president to serve and rule the nation. Ford is considered the first president of the United States to conquer the seat without an election. Watergate Scandal was not an ordinary robbery, administration of Nixon was involved in stealing the documents and wiretapping phones. President Nixon tried at most to prove his innocence.
When Ford pardoned Nixon against all the crimes, most people went against the decision. But he stated that he took this step to end the issues and divisions among people that erupted along with the Scandal. Ford didn’t have anyone to guide in the case of Nixon. But still, he felt that his decision was right as he could concentrate on the job as president after passing the final judgment. His only motive was to conclude the issue as soon as possible.
Other higher officials praised the major step of Ford, as he showed his love for his country without considering the future of politics. After the Decades, Gerald Ford was awarded the honor “Profile in Courage” by John F. Kennedy to appreciate his courage to pardon Nixon against thousands of people. It has been said that he failed in the election of 1976 due to pardoning Nixon. Nixon said to Ford that, he should have acted decisively especially when the scandal turned into a wide tragedy.
Conclusion
Later, the media published articles related to Ford, which mentioned that no president had taken such a major step that could reach the gratitude and love of Ford. Richard Nixon has completely lost all his support due to the scandal. Nixon has also stated that he should resign to proceed with the healing process which was very much needed.
He also had been named as an elder statesman. He turned out to be a great author during his last period and wrote several books mentioning all the experiences in the political field. On April 22nd, 1994 Nixon died due to a stroke and each president including other luminaries had attended the funeral ceremony.