Pat Nixon



 First Lady Pat Nixon was born Thelma Catherine Patricia Ryan on March 16, 1912 in Ely Nevada. Her father William M. Ryan, Sr., was responsible for nicknaming her Pat as she was born the day before St. Patrick's day and he of Irish ancestry. 

The Ryan family would live in Ely Nevada, where Pat's father worked in the mines, and in early 1913 move to what was Artesia now known today as Cerritos California.

At age 13 Pat would lose her mother to cancer. She became the anchor for cooking and cleaning for her father and two brothers. School activities were somewhat confined to classes only as she would have to get home for chores and dinner preparation.

Pat would ultimately graduate from USC, the University of Southern California with honors and high academic achievement in 1937. As a young woman prior to college graduation she worked often more than one job at a time to support herself. 

Fast forward and Pat and Richard Nixon married at Riverside California in 1940.

President Nixon view of his wife Pat

on the campaign trail

Family Nixon with Julie and Trish, their daughters.

Nixon concedes to Kennedy during the 1960 election.

Nixon lost to Kennedy by a margin of 49.6% to 49.7%.

The anguish on Pat Nixon's face tells it all.

Fast forward to 1969 and Nixon becomes the 37th President of the US.

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Admittedly my library visit  on Pat Nixon was not high. My after library visit reading reveals that Pat Nixon was truly a genuine First Lady. What I have come away with about Pat Nixon, she was a  First Lady that many after her tried to follow. She was a strong supporter of her husband, and always with him. She was involved in the goodness of our country.

Pat would die in 1994 at her home in New Jersey.