Manolo Sanchez (Nixon Staff Member)
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Manuel "Manolo" Sanchez (1929 – ) was a long-time valet to
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 ...
, known for his unfailing loyalty and fierce devotion to the former United States president. Sanchez was born in Cuba to a Spanish family, and was raised in Spain before returning to Cuba. There, he worked as a dishwasher and laborer before moving to the United States. He was employed by Richard Nixon from 1962 to about 1980. The famously reserved Nixon developed a close friendship with Sanchez and once described him as a member of his family.


Early life

Sanchez was born in 1929 in Marianao, in
Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
. The family returned to A Coruña shortly after his birth. In 1946 he returned to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
where he worked as a dishwasher and laborer. In 1950 he immigrated, again, to the United States and initially resided in the state of Florida.


Career


Early years with the Nixons

Sanchez began working for Richard and Pat Nixon in 1962 after being referred to the couple by Nixon family friend Bebe Rebozo. Sanchez and his wife Fina moved into the Nixons' 12-room apartment at 810 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Nixon would later describe the Sanchezes as "members of our family in a very special way". Twelve years later, when asked by a reporter if he would continue working for Nixon after he left office, Sanchez responded "the boss will not need to ask me. Wherever he goes in three years from now, he knows I will go with him". On January 15, 1967, Nixon held a dinner at his home during which he decided to run for president of the United States in 1968. In attendance were
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 ...
, the Nixon's children, Nixon's longtime secretary Rose Mary Woods, and Manolo and Fina Sanchez. All attendees, except Pat Nixon, encouraged him to seek the Republican nomination.


White House years

Sanchez moved to Washington with the Nixons during the
presidency of Richard Nixon Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 19 ...
, and lived with Fina in a suite on the third floor of the Executive Residence of the White House. Sanchez, along with the president's physician Major-General Walter Tkach and four
United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...
agents, accompanied Nixon during his unannounced 4:40 a.m. visit to the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...
on May 8, 1970, during which he met students protesting the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Nixon reportedly woke Sanchez at 4:22 in the morning and inquired if he'd "ever seen the Lincoln Memorial at night? Get your clothes on, we'll go!" At the memorial, Nixon showed Sanchez inside the sanctum and described the inscriptions; the pair were eventually approached by a group of about 30 protesters and spent the next two hours speaking with them. After White House personnel became aware Nixon had left the building unannounced, Ron Ziegler mounted a mission to retrieve him. After recovering the president, and during the return trip to the White House, Nixon insisted on stopping at the
United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...
, where he took his former seat in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives and instructed Sanchez to make a speech. Sanchez spoke of his pride in being a citizen of the United States and Nixon and some female cleaners who were present applauded. One of the women present, Carrie Moore, asked Nixon to sign her Bible, which he did, and holding her hand told her that his mother "was a saint" and "you be a saint too".
White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...
H. R. Haldeman Harry Robbins "Bob" Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Water ...
would later describe the incident in his diary as "the weirdest day yet". During his last years in the White House, Nixon became increasingly dependent on Sanchez, and the two developed a
constructed language A constructed language (shortened to conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, orthography, and vocabulary, instead of having developed natural language, naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devise ...
"sometimes using words that only the two of them understood". When Sanchez was summoned for
jury duty Jury duty or jury service is a Civil service, service as a juror in a legal proceeding. Different countries have different approaches to juries: variations include the kinds of cases tried before a jury, how many jurors hear a trial, and whether th ...
in 1972, White House Chief of Staff John Ehrlichman asked the court to excuse Sanchez from service "in order that he can be available to the president". Despite his loyalty to Nixon, Sanchez was known to have disagreed with the president on several occasions. During one incident, in 1973, Nixon expressed frustration to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Russell E. Train about overly cumbersome environmental regulations, citing the instance of mangrove trees at his property in
Key Biscayne, Florida Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Located on the island of Key Biscayne, the village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...
, which he couldn't cut down, before turning to Sanchez and asking "isn't that right"? Sanchez reportedly replied:


Post-presidency

He continued working for Richard and Pat Nixon at their post-presidency home in San Clemente, California. Sanchez was alone with Nixon when the latter suffered a near-fatal relapse after emerging from surgery for
phlebitis Phlebitis (or venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis (clotting inside blood vessels) and is then called thrombophlebitis or ...
in 1974. Before slipping into unconsciousness, Nixon told Sanchez "Manolo, I don't think I'm going to get out of here alive". After Nixon received a pardon from
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
, the Associated Press intercepted Sanchez while he was grocery shopping for Nixon in Palm Springs to get Nixon's reaction. Sanchez replied that, By 1980, after nearly two decades serving the Nixons, Manolo Sanchez retired with his wife, Fina, and returned to Spain.


Personal life

Sanchez was naturalized a U.S. citizen in 1968; Nixon sponsored his application, attended the ceremony, and took the oath of allegiance with him. Sanchez married his wife, Fina, in Spain. Little is known about Sanchez after his return to Spain. A 2019 article from the newspaper '' Faro de Vigo'' reports that his wife, Fina, died in the 1990s, and he died several years later, after the turn of the 21st century.


Portrayals

Sanchez was played by Tony Plana in
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...
's '' Nixon''.


See also

* Colonel Jack Brennan


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Manolo (Nixon staff member) 1929 births 21st-century deaths American domestic workers Galician diaspora Naturalized citizens of the United States Nixon administration personnel People from A Coruña Servants Spanish emigrants to Cuba Spanish emigrants to the United States