It is with great sadness we report that Marjorie “Marje” Acker passed away on Friday, August 18, 2023 in San Diego at the age of 95.
Marje Acker was a longtime staff assistant to Richard Nixon, beginning as a secretary to Senator Nixon in 1951, working on the 1952 and 1956 Eisenhower-Nixon campaigns, the Nixon for California Governor campaign in 1962, the 1968 Nixon presidential campaign, and continuing her work during his post-presidency years in San Clemente.
From 1969 to 1974, Mrs. Acker served in the Nixon administration as secretary to Rose Mary Woods, the longtime personal secretary to President Nixon.
A close friend of the Nixon family and supporter of the Richard Nixon Foundation, Mrs. Acker traveled to China in 2013 as part of a Nixon Foundation delegation led by Christopher Nixon Cox, the eldest grandson of President and Mrs. Nixon, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s historic trip to China.
Marjorie Peterson Acker was born in Portland, Oregon and attended Oregon State University. She was active in the Young Republicans and later took and passed the Foreign Service Test, accepting a job as the clerk/typist at the Department of State’s United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Mrs. Acker was married to Phillip “Phil” Acker, a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and former City Clerk of San Diego, who was an advance man in several Nixon campaigns. Mr. Acker passed away in 1997.
In 2012, a Meyer Lemon Tree was planted in the gardens of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum and dedicated to Mrs. Acker, honoring her years of service to Richard Nixon.
No memorial services are planned. In lieu of flowers, Marje’s family requests that gifts be made to the Richard Nixon Foundation.
Marje Acker with Julie Nixon Eisenhower in November 2013.
Marje Acker (left) pictured with Tricia Nixon Cox and Loie Gaunt, another longtime member of President Nixon’s staff, at the Centennial Celebration of Richard Nixon.
Marje Acker (left) pictured with fellow Nixon aide, Loie Gaunt, at the 100th Anniversary of the Nixon birthplace.
Marje Acker (left) in China in 2013 as part of the Nixon Foundation’s visit to commemorate the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s historic trip.
The dedication plaque from the Meyer Lemon Tree that was planted in honor of Mrs. Acker in 2012.
Tributes to Marje
“Marje was a truly fine woman whose attributes, including dedication to high principles, courage and loyalty, defined her sterling character. Over three generations Marje was a beloved member of the extended Nixon Family. She will be greatly missed but remembered always with love and gratitude.”
-Tricia Nixon Cox, daughter of President and Mrs. Nixon
“I was blessed to know Marje since I was a little girl. She was a fireball of energy! She worked tirelessly and, I noticed, she was often behind the scenes, but always with a ready smile and a witty comment. I will always remember Marje’s, stoicism and compassion during the ordeal of the resignation. And I will be forever grateful to her for her energy and courage as my dad traveled on his “comeback” journey.”
-Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of President and Mrs. Nixon
“Loyalty is determined by those who are willing to bear the burden when the weight is heaviest. That would aptly describe Marje Acker. Marje was unwavering in her personal devotion to Richard Nixon and his entire family, and in our often-lonely days in San Clemente – as The Boss worked to record his remarkable life and career – Marje was at his side, and ours, for the long hours of memories, laughs and healing wounds. A remarkably tough and resilient lady and a rock to for all the Nixon team to mirror. Rest in peace.”
-Ken Khachigian, Board of Directors Emeritus
“Marge was the epitome of dedication and loyalty. Wonderful lady,”
-Col. Jack Brennan, former Marine Military Aide to President Nixon
“In the days when ‘secretary’ was a calling as well as a job description, Marje was a Hall of Famer. She typed so fast her fingers were a blur, and her shorthand was fast as the speed of sound and flawlessly transcribed. Those were the benighted days when the cloud was “a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere,” actual typed paper documents (with or without carbon copies) were placed in alphabetically arranged “manila folders” and kept in “file cabinets.” In the Nixon White House, Marje was Rose Woods’ secretary and had secretaries of her own. She was intelligent and observant and at the center of all things RN from the beginning of his career in the Senate in 1951 to the beginning of his post-presidency in San Clemente in 1974. She had great warmth and a real sense of adventure. She was an intrepid and adventurous traveler, experiencing the world, often solo after Phil died, from Machu Picchu to the Mekong Delta. Her tales of the things she saw were vivid and riveting and her descriptions of the people she met along the way were insightful and amusing.”
-Frank Gannon, former Special Assistant to President Nixon
“So sorry about Marje. She was loyal, dedicated, hard working, supportive and FUN! She will be missed because, as she called him, ‘My boss was the best ever!'”
-Maureen Nunn, Board of Directors