Funeral for President Nixon – April 27, 1994 – NPR Special Program – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
After suffering a severe stroke on April 18, former President Nixon died on April 22nd. The 35th President of the U.S. whose legacy ranged from ending the long-standing refusal to recognize Red China to resigning from office in the midst of Watergate. Nixon had been universally praised and damned – sometimes by the same people, in the same breath. From his ending of the Vietnam War to his systematic deregulation of media and industry and gutting of many social programs – Richard Nixon was anything but a passive President.
And even though he had been mostly out of the public eye since his resignation, Nixon’s death still came as a shock, and tributes to the man and the legacy poured in from all over the world.
Some 50,000 people showed up at Yorba Linda, site of the Nixon Library and Family home, to pay their respects, with most standing for hours in pouring rain. President Clinton declared a National Day of Mourning, and the Funeral on April 27th was attended by no less than 5 living Presidents of the U.S. and a host of dignitaries and colleagues.
Here is the memorial and Funeral Service, as broadcast live by National Public Radio on April 27th, 1994, featuring eulogies, the funeral procession and the Military salute ending the service.
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