Spiro Theodore Agnew (9 November 1918-17 September 1996) was Vice President of the United States from 20 January 1969 to 10 October 1973, succeeding Hubert Humphrey and preceding Gerald Ford. He previously served as Governor of Maryland from 25 January 1967 to 7 January 1969, succeeding J. Millard Tawes and preceding Marvin Mandel.
Biography[]
Spiro Theodore Agnew was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1918 to a Greek immigrant father and an American-born mother, and he worked as an aide to congressman James Devereux before being appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Zoning Appeals in 1957. From 1962 to 1966, he served as Executive of Baltimore County, and he went on to serve as Governor of Maryland from 1967 to 1969. In 1968, he was Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon's surprise choice for his vice-presidential running mate, as he was largely unknown to most Americans. He was often called upon to attack the administration's enemies, and he moved to the right of the moderate Nixon during his vice presidency. In 1970, on David Frost's show, Agnew engaged in a live televised debate with student activists, and he attempted to portray them as violent and dangerous revolutionaries. Despite the administration's unpopularity among anti-war demonstrators, it won re-election in a landslide in 1972. However, in 1973, Agnew was investigated for taking kickbacks during his time as Baltimore County Executive and for tax evasion, and he decided to resign and pay a $10,000 fine. He later wrote a novel and a memoir that defended his actions, and he died in 1996 at the age of 77.