The Most Interesting Man in the World

[David Tenner]

Loading Image...

Seriously, what if Nixon had grown a beard?

(Do hippies go skinhead to be different from RMN?)

--
David Tenner
***@ameritech.net

[Rich Rostrom]

Post by David Tenner
http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/51000/Richard-Nixon-with-a-Beard--51214.jpg
Seriously, what if Nixon had grown a beard?

When?

I believe beards were not allowed for Navy personnel
during WW II; there was an informal exception for submarine
crew, due to fresh-water restrictions. So it would have to
be after his Navy service.

As a candidate for Representative?

As a Representative?

As a Senator?

As Vice President?

When he ran for Governor of CA?

Before/during the 1968 campaign?

As President?

- During his first term?
- During his second term?

After leaving office?

Post by David Tenner
(Do hippies go skinhead to be different from RMN?)

That depends on the timing. If he was to grow a beard in
the 1940s, would that kill his political career? If he
did it as VP, what happens? Could it cost him renomination
as VP in 1956? I rather think it wouldn't. Even if a lot
of Republicans were put off by it, who'd want to say
publicly that something as important as the Vice Presidency
should depend on something as superficial as whiskers?

And if he _was_ renominated for VP, that would be precedent
for nominating him for President in 1960.

Then, if he has the beard, he might look better on TV -
no "five o'clock" shadow. That might be just enough for
him to win the election.

[David Tenner]

Post by Rich Rostrom
That depends on the timing. If he was to grow a beard in
the 1940s, would that kill his political career? If he
did it as VP, what happens? Could it cost him renomination
as VP in 1956? I rather think it wouldn't. Even if a lot
of Republicans were put off by it, who'd want to say
publicly that something as important as the Vice Presidency
should depend on something as superficial as whiskers?
And if he _was_ renominated for VP, that would be precedent
for nominating him for President in 1960.
Then, if he has the beard, he might look better on TV -
no "five o'clock" shadow. That might be just enough for
him to win the election.

Doing some research, I have found that beards were pretty rare among US
politicians during most of Nixon's political career. For example, I have
looked at the photos of members of Congress in *The Almanac of American
Politics 1970* and could not find one beard. (Also, very few moustaches,
except among African American Congressmen.) That would change shortly:
Michigan Senator Phil Hart's children asked him to grow a beard if he was re-
elected in 1970: he was and he did. But that was still very rare, and anyway
Hart was a liberal Democrat and therefore hardly likely to be an example
followed by Nixon. Another Democratic Senator, Harold Hughes, also grew a
beard, but shaved it off after 70 days, saying it was too itchy on hot days.
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/99220630/

[JennyB]

Hmmm... Submariner Niton. He looks almost trustworthy.

[Rich Rostrom]

Post by JennyB
Hmmm... Submariner Niton. He looks almost trustworthy.

There's a thought. If he was assigned to
submarines in the Navy, he might have
grown a beard then.

[Don Phillipson]

Post by David Tenner
http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/51000/Richard-Nixon-with-a-Beard--51214.jpg
Seriously, what if Nixon had grown a beard?

The background confirms this was Photoshopped from his
Wikipedia main portrait. (RMN was only 32 when he left
the USN and few men of that age have any grey in their
beards.)

[MummyChunk]

Post by David Tenner
Seriously, what if Nixon had grown a beard?
(Do hippies go skinhead to be different from RMN?)
--
David Tenner

He looks like in this photo that he would fit in nice with JD Vance and crew LOL!


This is a response to the post seen at:
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=402530980#402530980