When Richard Nixon ran for president in 1968, the journalist Hugh Sidey wrote about him in LIFE: “He is not a candidate in the ordinary sense: he is a President-in-waiting.” Nixon’s confidence in his chances was owed in part to the political climate—Democrats divided over Vietnam, urban unrest at home—and in part to the fact that by 1968, he’d already spent a hefty portion of his adult life on the campaign trail.
Nixon, who was born on Jan. 9, 1913, ran his first political campaign in 1946 with a successful bid for U.S. Congress. He followed that with another successful bid, for Senate in 1950, and two successful campaigns for vice president, with Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1952 and 1956. Then came the losses: first for president, losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960—thanks in part to his lackluster appearance at the first-ever televised presidential debate—and then for governor of California, two years later.
When Nixon returned from several years of laying low to run for president in 1968, President Johnson called him a “chronic campaigner.” It may have been meant as an insult, but replace “chronic” with a slightly more neutral modifier and it was most certainly rooted in truth. The LIFE archives offer a pictorial evolution of his career as a candidate, one which led Sidey to describe him as having “adopted the manners and the methods and sometimes even the moods of a President” long before voters confirmed him as such.
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
Richard M. Nixon speaks into microphones about the 1952 presidential campaign, during which he was Dwight D. Eisenhower's running mate.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon and his wife Pat talk with photographers during the 1952 Republican convention.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon addresses a large crowd during the presidential campaign, 1952.Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon and his wife are surrounded by a crowd at the Los Angeles airport during the 1952 campaign.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon receives a cow's licking during his visit to a dairy run by a local GOP leader, 1956.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesVice presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon stops the motorcade and shakes hands with a crowd of Meridan school students, 1956.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon works on a speech while en Route to Washington, DC, 1956.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon makes a campaign speech at a shopping center beneath an American flag, 1956.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon and his wife campaign in a convertible car, welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd in 1956.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRichard M. Nixon during his presidential campaign, 1960.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon gets his shoes shined at the GOP convention, 1960.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon meets a young supporter at a campaign event, 1960.Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon with his wife Pat and daughter Patricia during his campaign tour, 1960.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon on the campaign trail, 1960.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon on the campaign trail, 1960.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAn enthusiastic crowd greets Nixon at a campaign event in 1960.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPolice hold back the crowd at a Nixon campaign event, 1960.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon wades through a sea of sign-holders during his campaign for governor of California, 1962.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images"Nixonettes" wear hats and sashes emblazoned with the candidate's name during the 1962 California gubernatorial campaign.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA child wears an outfit in support of Nixon at a campaign event in California, 1962.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon shakes hands with a mask-wearing supporter during his campaign for governor of California, 1962.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon supporters light up the night at a campaign rally, 1962.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesConfetti fills the air during a campaign event for Nixon's presidential run in 1968.Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon greets supportive crowd at a campaign rally in 1968.Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon and his wife Pat campaign in Charlotte, N.C, 1968.Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon and his family on an east coast campaign tour, 1968.Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNixon campaigns in Chicago, 1968.Lee Balterman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
