Richard Milhous Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. Although the family was poor and suffered during the depression, he did further his education. Nixon excelled in his studies at Whittier College and Duke University School of Law. After serving as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Nixon went into politics, defeating a veteran congressman and quickly establishing himself as a rising star in the Republican Party. Nixon gained fame and respect as a fierce anti-Communist. His investigation of the U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss eventually led to a trial in which Hiss was convicted for conspiracy to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. Although Nixon became the subject of controversy because he was accused of campaigning using secret funds and had to allay his party’s anxiety in his famous “Checkers” speech, he remained as Eisenhower’s vice president for a full two terms. Indeed, he became a stalwart leader of the Republican Party, holding his own in the “kitchen” debate with Nikita Khruschev over the respective merits of the United States and USSR’s political systems. He was chosen as his party’s nominee for president in 1960.