Richard Nixon Attends Whittier College

Nixon initially attended Fullerton High School in Fullerton, but later transferred to Whittier High School, where he graduated second in his class in 1930.

Financial concerns forced him to decline scholarships to Harvard[8] and Yale universities; he instead enrolled at Whittier College, a local Quaker school, where he co-founded a fraternity known as The Orthogonian Society. Nixon was a formidable debater, standout in collegiate drama productions, student body president, player on the football and basketball teams, and track runner. While at Whittier, he lived at home and worked at his family's store; he also taught Sunday school at East Whittier Friends Church, where he remained a member all his life.

Nixon was educated in public schools in Yorba Linda and Whittier, where the family moved when he was nine. After high school, Nixon enrolled at Whittier College, a Quaker institution, where he was a successful student politician, becoming president of the student body.

Nixon was educated in public schools. He entered Fullerton High schools, and in his junior year he transferred to Whittier High School in 1930. He graduated near the top of his class. Nixon attended Whittier College from 1930-1934, graduating second in a class of 85. He was President of the Student body.

Nixon attended Fullerton High School from 1926-28 and Whittier High School from 1928-30. He graduated first in his class, with honors and was the General Manager of the Student Body in his senior year. He won an award from the Harvard Club of California as the state's outstanding high school senior. Among other achievements, he had a penchant for Shakespeare and Latin, and could recite long passages by heart. The award from Harvard provided him with a full scholarship, but since it did not cover living expenses, Nixon's family was unable to afford to send him away to college. Some historians and commentators have speculated that Nixon's lifelong antipathy towards the "Eastern Establishment" had its genesis in this initial letdown. In lieu of Harvard, Nixon attended Whittier College, a local Quaker school where he founded the Orthogonian Society, a fraternity that competed with the already established Franklin Society. Nixon then went on to become the student body president of Whittier College. A lifelong football buff, Nixon practiced with the team assiduously but spent most of his time on the bench. His front teeth were knocked out and replaced by the rather prominent bridgework that later afforded caricaturists a field day. Nixon's chief accomplishment as student body president was organizing Whittier College's first school dance, a practice forbidden by the Quakers.