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Richard M. Nixon

Political Offices

When did Nixon move to the U.S. Senate?

Nixon served as a U.S. senator from 1951 to 1953. He won his seat by defeating Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas, an actress turned politician. His campaign materials linked her to the Communist Party, causing a local newspaper to refer to him as “Tricky Dick”—a nickname that would stick for the rest of his career. He served on the Government Operations Committee, and an investigation subcommittee led by Senator Joe McCarthy.