Second inauguration of Richard Nixon Second inauguration of Richard Nixon The second inauguration of Richard Nixon as President of the United States was held on January 20, 1973 at the eastern portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The inauguration marked the commencement of the second term of Richard Nixon as President and the second term of Spiro Agnew as Vice President. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the Oath of office to the President and the oath of office to the Vice President. Agnew resigned from office days into this term, and was succeeded by Gerald Ford (in accordance with Section 2
Spiro Agnew was controlled by Democrats and he hoped to take control of the Senate in the 1970 midterm elections. Worried that Agnew was too divisive a figure, Nixon and his aides initially planned to restrict Agnew's role to fundraising and the giving of a standard stump speech that would avoid personal attacks. The president believed that appealing to white, middle- and lower-class voters on social issues would lead to Republican victories in November. He planned not to do any active campaigning, but to remain above the fray and let Agnew campaign as spokesman for the Silent Majority. On September 10 in