Checkers Nixon: the true story of Richard Nixon's famous dog
See Checkers Nixon's real story – guest starring your dog.
Checkers was a black-and-white cocker spaniel given to Richard Nixon's family in 1952. He became famous when Nixon mentioned him by name in a televised speech defending himself against accusations of misusing campaign funds. You can read here how that speech saved Nixon's spot on the 1952 ticket, what happened to Checkers afterward, and which claims about him are actually documented.
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The story in 6 parts
A short version first. The full story, with every detail, is further down.
Part 1
Who was Checkers and why did he matter
Checkers arrived in 1952 as a gift from a supporter in Texas, after Pat Nixon mentioned on the radio that her daughters wanted a dog.
Part 2
The 1952 slush fund scandal that put Checkers in the spotlight
As Eisenhower's running mate, Nixon was accused of taking eighteen thousand dollars from a group of campaign supporters.
Part 3
Inside the Checkers speech
Nixon flew to Los Angeles and delivered a half-hour televised and radio address on September 23, 1952.
Part 4
How the speech shaped Nixon's career and reputation
Nixon stayed on the Republican ticket, and he and Eisenhower won the election in November 1952.
Part 5
What happened to Checkers after the speech
Checkers stayed with the Nixon family after 1952, and the following year they were photographed with him on vacation in New Jersey.
Part 6
Fact-checking common claims about Checkers
Sources agree that Checkers was a cocker spaniel, black-and-white in color.
Read the full story
Part 1
Who was Checkers and why did he matter
Checkers arrived in 1952 as a gift from a supporter in Texas, after Pat Nixon mentioned on the radio that her daughters wanted a dog. Tricia, then six years old, named the puppy Checkers. He was black-and-white spotted. Checkers never lived in the White House, but he became a celebrity after Nixon mentioned him in a televised speech.
Part 2
The 1952 slush fund scandal that put Checkers in the spotlight
As Eisenhower's running mate, Nixon was accused of taking eighteen thousand dollars from a group of campaign supporters. The press learned of the fund two months after Eisenhower chose Nixon, and the story grew until it threatened his place on the Republican ticket. The story grew until it threatened Nixon's place on the Republican ticket. Nixon insisted the money paid for political expenses rather than personal use, and said no contributor received special treatment because of the fund. If you have followed a modern political scandal, this pattern of accusation, pressure, and public defense may feel familiar to you.
Part 3
Inside the Checkers speech
Nixon flew to Los Angeles and delivered a half-hour televised and radio address on September 23, 1952. The Republican National Committee paid for the broadcast. During the speech, Nixon described the cocker spaniel sent from Texas and said that, regardless of what people said about it, he intended to keep the dog. Nixon also asked viewers to write to the Republican National Committee to say whether he should stay on the ticket. An estimated sixty million people watched or listened, one of the largest television audiences up to that time, and the response was overwhelmingly favorable, with millions of telegrams and phone calls supporting Nixon.
Part 4
How the speech shaped Nixon's career and reputation
Nixon stayed on the Republican ticket, and he and Eisenhower won the election in November 1952. Nixon was inaugurated vice president in January 1953. The address is remembered as an early example of a politician using television to appeal directly to voters, following Franklin D. Roosevelt's use of his own dog, Fala, in a speech eight years earlier. Over time, the term Checkers speech came to describe any personal, emotionally charged speech a politician gives to win public support.
Part 5
What happened to Checkers after the speech
Checkers stayed with the Nixon family after 1952, and the following year they were photographed with him on vacation in New Jersey. He lived with the Nixons until he died at thirteen years old, in 1964. He is buried at Bide-a-Wee Pet Memorial Park in Wantagh, New York. No one from the Nixon family has visited the grave. Nixon later had other dogs at the White House, including an Irish setter named Timahoe, but Checkers himself never lived there.
Part 6
Fact-checking common claims about Checkers
Sources agree that Checkers was a cocker spaniel, black-and-white in color. Three other dogs, Timahoe, Pasha, and Vicky, later lived in the Nixon White House, belonging to different family members. The core facts of the speech, including the date, the eighteen thousand dollar figure, and the political outcome, are documented in multiple accounts. If you come across a claim about Checkers that these documented details do not support, it is worth treating it as folklore rather than fact.
Questions people ask
What breed was Checkers, Nixon's dog?
Checkers was a cocker spaniel, black-and-white in color.
Why did Nixon give the Checkers speech?
Nixon gave the speech to defend himself on television after being accused of taking eighteen thousand dollars from campaign supporters, an accusation that threatened his place on the 1952 Republican ticket.
Did Nixon actually keep Checkers after the speech?
Yes, the family kept Checkers, and he continued living with the Nixons for years after the speech.
When did Checkers die?
Checkers died in 1964, at thirteen years old.
Was the Checkers speech considered a success?
It is widely seen as a success for Nixon, since he stayed on the Republican ticket and went on to win the 1952 election with Eisenhower, after an estimated sixty million people watched or heard the broadcast and responded with a wave of public support.
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Sources
- Checkers: Best-Known Dog to Never Have Lived in White House. Presidential Pet Museum, Sep 19, 2013.
- September 23, 1952: "Checkers" Speech | Miller Center. Miller Center, Oct 20, 2016.
- Checkers speech - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org.
- Checkers Speech - Richard Nixon Foundation | Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum. Richard Nixon Foundation | Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, Sep 24, 1952.
- Senator Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech – Watergate.info. watergate.info.
- Grave of Checkers, Nixon. RoadsideAmerica.com.
- Dogs In Politics Day Marks Anniversary Of “Checkers” Speech. DogTime, Sep 21, 2015.
- SENATOR RICHARD NIXON. Internet Archive.
- Audio / Video / Unknown: Sep. 23, 1952. avplayer.lib.berkeley.edu.
- Checkers - Richard M. Nixon 1952. www.emersonkent.com.
Written by TimeWalkies EditorialLast updated How we research