Patricia Nixon Cox (born February 21, 1946) is the elder daughter of the 37th United States president

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

and First Lady

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as the Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, second lady ...

, and the sister of Julie Nixon Eisenhower. She is married to Edward F. Cox and is the mother of Christopher Nixon Cox. In her father's public career, Cox performed a ceremonial role, in contrast to Julie's more political involvement. She accompanied him on many campaign stops and, after his inauguration, on state trips around the world.

Early life

Nixon was born on February 21, 1946, at Murphy Memorial Hospital in Whittier, California. She grew up in Washington, D.C., attending Horace Mann Elementary and the Sidwell Friends School. Later she attended the Chapin School in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. In 1964, she was presented as a debutante to high society at the

International Debutante Ball The International Debutante Ball is an invitation-only, Formal wear, formal Debutante, debutante ball, to officially present well-connected young women from Upper class, upper-class families to high society. Founded in 1954, it occurs every two ...

at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Edward Cox was her civilian escort at the ball. She attended the now-defunct women's college Finch College, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts. At her graduation on June 14, 1968, her father served as a special guest speaker. In 1968, future president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

took Nixon on a date arranged by his father. After Bush spilled wine and tried to smoke a cigarette, Nixon requested to be taken back to the White House. In 1969, she hosted a Halloween party for 250 children at the White House. Actor Jonathan Frid who played Barnabas Collins in the

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

show was in attendance.

Marriage and professional activities

Nixon with daughter Tricia marriage 1971

Tricia Nixon married Harvard Law student Edward F. Cox in a White House Rose Garden ceremony on June 12, 1971. In a 2015 interview with Max Foster for CNN regarding an upcoming visit to the United States, Charles, then Prince of Wales, recalled his first visit to the U.S. in 1970 as "the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon" who was nearly three years his senior and American. Nixon had represented the U.S. government along with former

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Hubert H. Humphrey at Charles' investiture in Caernarvon,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

one year earlier in July 1969. "Pretty Tricia Nixon, the 23-year-old daughter of President Richard Nixon, won the hearts of Welsh people yesterday when she arrived for the investiture. Although many people outside Caernarvon station did not recognise the small blonde in the white hat and white-and-green coat she stole the limelight on the station platform..." She has lived a very private life in the suburbs of New York, and was a stay-at-home mother to her son, Christopher Nixon Cox, born in March 1979. Her husband is now a corporate attorney and a chairman of the New York Republican State Committee. She serves on the boards of many medical research institutions, as well as the

Richard Nixon Foundation The Richard Nixon Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California. It was founded on January 24, 1983 by Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States, and ser ...

at the Nixon Library in California.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Tricia Nixon 1946 births 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American debutantes Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni California Republicans Children of presidents of the United States Children of vice presidents of the United States Debutantes of the International Debutante Ball Finch College alumni Living people People from Whittier, California Nixon family Sidwell Friends School alumni Chapin School (Manhattan) alumni