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U.S. Vice Presidents: Spiro Agnew

Picture

Spiro T. Agnew

(1918 - 1996)

Spiro Theodore Agnew (1918-1996) - Find A Grave Memorial

Profile

Original Name

Spiro Theodore Agnew
Occupation

39th U.S. Vice President (January 20, 1969 - October 10, 1973)

55th Governor of Maryland

(January 25, 1967 - January 7, 1969)

3rd Executive of Baltimore County

(December 1962 - December 1966)
Date of Birth

November 9, 1918
Place of Birth

Baltimore, Maryland
Date of Death September 17, 1996
Place of Death Berlin, Maryland
Education

John Hopkins University (BA)

University of Baltimore (LLB)
Parents

Virginia Dell Cassidy

Theodore Agnew (Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos)

 
Spouse

Judy Judefind
Political Party

Republican
Military Service

Allegiance

United States

Branch/Service

United States Army

Years of Service

1941 - 1945

Rank

Captain

Battles/Wars

World War II
Awards Bronze Star
Number of Children Four

Links

Did You Know?

Vice President Agnew...

  • ...was drafted into the United States Army during World War II.
  • ...became involved in politics after returning from active military duty.
  • ...was accused of being involved in extortion, bribery, and income-tax violations during his term as Maryland's governor in 1972. In 1973, he was charged and he pleaded no contest in Federal court.
  • ...was disbarred in 1974 by the state of Maryland.

Biography

Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second and most recent vice president to resign the position, the other being John C. Calhoun in 1832. Unlike Calhoun, Agnew resigned as a result of a scandal. In 1973, Agnew was investigated by the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion and tax fraud. Agnew took kickbacks from contractors during his time as Baltimore County Executive and Governor of Maryland. The payments had continued into his time as vice president; they had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal, in which he was not implicated. After months of maintaining his innocence, Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office. Nixon replaced him with House Republican leader Gerald Ford. Agnew spent the remainder of his life quietly, rarely making public appearances. He wrote a novel and a memoir; both defended his actions.

Quotes

"In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism." 

-Spiro Agnew

 
“Freedom of speech is useless without freedom of thought.”
—Spiro Agnew

 

 
“A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as "intellectuals".”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“I am not asking for government censorship or any other kind of censorship. I am asking whether a kind of censorship already exists when the news that forty million Americans receive each night is determined by a handful of men responsible only to their corporate employers and filtered through a handful of commentators who admit to their own set of biases.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“Three things have been difficult to tame: the oceans, fools and women. We may soon be able to tame the oceans; fools and women will take a little longer.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“Some newspapers are fit only to line the bottom of bird cages.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“An intellectual is a man who doesn't know how to park a bike.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“Education is being redefined at the demand of the uneducated to suit the ideas of the uneducated. The student now goes to college to proclaim, rather than to learn.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“There are people in our society who should be separated and discarded.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“The criminal left is interested in power. It is not interested in promoting the renewal and reforms that make democracy work; it is interested in promoting those collisions and conflict that tear democracy apart.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
“I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won't deceive you except in matters of this sort.”
—Spiro Agnew
 
 

Books Located in the Library

Currently, we do not have any books on Vice President Spiro Agnew. Please check out our E-book collection.

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