Edward Nixon, the youngest and last surviving brother of President Richard Nixon, died on February 27, 2019, at a skilled nursing facility in Bothell, Washington. He was 88 years old.
Mr. Nixon worked on his brother’s successful presidential campaigns in 1968 and 1972 and served as Co-Chairman of the Nixon re-election committee in 1972.
Ed Nixon was an original member of the Board of Directors of the Richard Nixon Foundation.
A career geologist and expert on global energy use, Mr. Nixon spent six decades pursuing the responsible use of natural resources around the globe. Throughout his career, he served as an advisor to several cutting-edge companies in the field of Earth science.
Edward Calvert Nixon was born on May 3, 1930, in Whittier, California. He was the fifth and youngest child of Frank and Hannah Nixon, and named Edward after an English King, as was Nixon family tradition.
Mr. Nixon served in the United States Navy as a Naval Aviator, helicopter flight instructor, Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Washington, and Naval Reserve Captain. He received a Master of Science in Geological Engineering from North Carolina State University, Raleigh and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Duke University.
Since his brother’s groundbreaking and historic opening of the People’s Republic of China in 1972, Mr. Nixon made more than 30 important goodwill missions to the country, where he was always welcomed by high-level dignitaries alongside ordinary Chinese citizens, fondly remembering of his brother’s visit.
In 2009, he published his first and only book, The Nixons: A Family Portrait, an intimate look into the Milhous and Nixon families. His book is an invaluable contribution to the historical record.
Mr. Nixon is survived by his daughters Amelie “Amy” Peiffer and Elizabeth “Beth” Matheny. His wife of 57 years, Gay Lynne Nixon, died in 2014.