Which US president resigned from office in 1974 following the Watergate scandal?

Richard Nixon was the US president who resigned from office in 1974 following the Watergate scandal. A Republican, Nixon had won reelection in 1972, but his second term was overwhelmed by investigations into political espionage and the administration's efforts to conceal its connections to the crime.

The scandal began with the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. Secret White House recordings later revealed that Nixon had discussed obstructing the investigation. The release of the so-called “smoking gun” tape in August 1974 destroyed much of his remaining congressional support.

Facing almost certain impeachment by the House of Representatives and removal by the Senate, Nixon announced his resignation in a televised address on August 8. He formally left office the next day, August 9, becoming the only US president to resign.

Vice President Gerald Ford succeeded him and later issued Nixon a pardon for potential federal crimes committed during his presidency. Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson were also former presidents, but neither resigned from office.