Following mounting pressure from Republican and Democratic leaders, President Richard Milhous Nixon resigned August 9,1974. That morning, the president and his family addressed administration officials and White House staff concerning his thoughts on that important day. The address included a tribute to the White House staff and the president’s parents. While speaking about his parents, the president was almost moved to tears. Following the address, the president and his family left on a helicopter from the South Lawn. From there, the president boarded Air Force One and flew back to Yorba Linda, Calif. While he was somewhere over Missouri, Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States.