Finding a Home for Tricky Dicky: the Nixon-Duke Presidential Library Controversy

    As the former governor of North Carolina and a two-time US presidential candidate, when Terry Sanford arrived at Duke following the 1969 “campus unrest”, he brought with him his political ambitions and his aspirations for the university. Sanford networked with faculty and enlisted a lot of notable and respected members to be his right-hand advisors; he ate breakfast at the West Union regularly and had a lot of exposure with the student body; he contacted friends and acquaintances from his political career for the purpose of locating new funds and resources; he went to the basketball games, wrote fans, and even had some students endearingly call him “uncle Terry”.

Letter, Terry Sanford to Richard Nixon. April 15, 1970. Terry Sanford Records, 1969-1985. Office of the President, Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

    Terry himself was quite vocal about his “outrageous ambitions”, and his biggest goal was to having Duke, a south regional school at the time, becoming a prestigious national or even international institution. With his goals in mind, Sanford embarked on a journey to bring in benefactors and supporters of the University, and to market the University and its upward-climbing reputation on a national scale.

    Such efforts were manifested in his interactions with ex-president Richard Nixon. Ever since arriving at Duke, Sanford has actively tried to reach out to Nixon, who is perhaps Duke’s most controversial alumnus. His suggestion to grant Nixon an honorary degree was quickly shut down by the majority. In summer of 1981, after many letters to Nixon’s office and Nixon aides, Sanford finally reached the ex-president who resigned from the near-impeachment limbo. This time, it was an invitation for a honorary degree nor an invitation for a commencement speech, rather, a move to locate his presidential library on Duke campus.

    This is a letter written by Terry Sanford addressed to President Nixon. Ever since taking office in 1969, Sanford has reached out to Nixon many times, inviting his whole family to revisit his alma mater and watch the Duke-Carolina football game. Sanford also persuaded Duke affiliates to extend their regards to Nixon, one of such was board member and a personal friend of Nixon, Charles Rhyne. Also in the President's record is an informal invitation sent from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon to brother Nixon for a post-game celebration in the chapter room.