Richard Nixon might be remembered for Watergate, foreign policy feats, and a resignation that shook the nation—oh, and maybe for that iconic “I am not a crook” line. But did you know he once ate a dog biscuit? Or that he applied to join the FBI decades before becoming president?
He wasn’t just a political figure caught up in scandal. He was genuinely one of the most bizarre people to ever occupy the White House. These aren’t your typical presidential trivia questions about favorite foods or childhood pets.
These 13 strange Nixon facts are as weird as presidential history gets!
He applied to join the FBI decades before running for president
At 24 years old, fresh out of Duke Law School, Nixon actually tried to become an FBI agent. According to Smithsonian Magazine, in 1937, he filled out the paperwork, took the interview, and passed his medical exam. Then he waited. And waited. And never heard back.
Turns out, J. Edgar Hoover had quietly approved his application. But budget cuts killed the deal before Nixon even knew he was in. The National Archives still has his application on file, dated April 23, 1937.
Nixon almost made the cut, which makes you wonder how different history might have been if he’d spent his career chasing criminals instead of becoming one.
He tried to run daylight saving time year-round
Nixon thought he could solve the energy crisis with clocks. In January 1974, he signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act. Suddenly, the whole country was on daylight saving time all year long.
By spring, parents were furious. Kids were walking to school in pitch darkness. School buses were picking up children when it looked like midnight outside. Congress reversed the law after just 10 months of complaints. Nixon’s clock experiment became one of his most unpopular policies, which is saying something.
He once founded a frozen orange juice business
After graduating from Duke Law and beginning his legal career, Richard Nixon also ventured into the business world. In the late 1930s, he launched a company called Citra-Frost, aiming to market frozen orange juice rather than concentrate.
To raise capital, Nixon and his associates secured about $10,000 from backers. Nixon didn’t just handle administrative duties — he personally helped with cutting and squeezing oranges. But things went poorly. The company struggled with packaging, refrigeration, and storage problems, and at one point even lost product when a refrigerated boxcar “blew up.”
Ultimately, Citra-Frost declared bankruptcy after about 18 months in operation.
He installed a private bowling alley in the White House
In 1973, President Nixon had a single-lane bowling alley built under the North Portico of the White House. The project cost about $40,700 and was funded entirely through private donations from three of his friends. He had it installed beneath the North Portico so he could practice without leaving home.
White House records show he bowled several times a week, often late at night with staff or visiting dignitaries. The lane is still there today, refinished for later presidents and guests. Nixon preferred bowling over golf because he thought it was more “time efficient.”
When you’re running the country, I guess every minute counts, even for strikes and spares.
He played several musical instruments, though he was poor at reading music
Nixon could play piano, violin, saxophone, clarinet, and accordion. That’s five instruments, which is pretty impressive for any politician. The catch? He couldn’t read sheet music very well.
He taught himself piano as a kid and kept playing as an adult. In 1963, he even performed on “The Jack Paar Program” on national TV. Nixon’s musical skills were genuinely unique, even if his sight-reading was terrible. Not bad for a guy who’s usually remembered for Watergate.
He might have had royal English ancestry
According to History’s article “10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon,” some historians have suggested that Richard Nixon may have had ties to English royalty. His family lineage, though largely modest and rooted in American Quaker traditions, reportedly traced back several centuries to early English settlers — and possibly even to King Edward III.
This potential royal connection, while never definitively proven, placed Nixon among a long list of American presidents rumored to share distant ancestral links with British monarchs. It was a curious irony, given the United States’ historic break from royal rule.
He lost his high school senior class presidency
History’s article notes that Nixon’s first brush with politics came during his high school years in Whittier, California, when he ran for senior class president—and lost. The defeat was a formative experience for the young Nixon, who was known for his quiet, serious demeanor and lack of popularity compared to his more outgoing classmates.
His opponent reportedly charmed students with humor and charisma, traits Nixon would later learn to compensate for with tireless preparation and strategic thinking. This early setback taught him the importance of appealing to the emotions of voters, not just their logic.
He was raised a Quaker, but waived conscientious objector status to serve in WWII
Richard Nixon was raised in a Quaker household, a faith known for its strong pacifist beliefs and opposition to war. His mother came from deep Quaker roots, and this background could have allowed him to avoid military service as a conscientious objector. However, Nixon chose a different path.
In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve as a lieutenant junior grade, demonstrating his willingness to set aside personal and religious beliefs in favor of what he viewed as duty to his country. Nixon served honorably and rose through the ranks, attaining the position of commander by June 1, 1953.
His military service not only reflected his sense of responsibility but also provided valuable credentials that later strengthened his political career.
He met with anti-war protesters at the Lincoln Memorial in the early morning hours
Around 4 a.m. on May 9, 1970, Nixon did something almost no modern president had done. He left the White House, went to the Lincoln Memorial, and talked with young anti-war protesters for over an hour.
This happened right after the Kent State shootings, when tensions were sky-high. Every major TV network covered the story within 24 hours. Nixon’s chief of staff described it as “the strangest day of his presidency so far.” The image of a president talking to protesters at dawn was surreal, even for the Vietnam era.
He pushed for strong voting rights as VP, but saw it weakened in the Senate
As Vice President in 1957, Nixon advocated for tough voting rights enforcement in the Civil Rights Bill debates. His version would have ensured federal oversight of voter registration in states with a history of discrimination.
Multiple Senate filibusters watered down the bill until it became what legal experts called “toothless.” Nixon’s fight for stronger voting rights got lost in Congressional politics, shaping how he approached civil rights reform later.
He once ate a dog biscuit
According to the Daily Mail article, Nixon’s behavior in his later years verged on the eccentric. He is reported to have eaten dog biscuits, a detail cited in the piece to underscore how far from typical presidential decorum he could become.
The article pairs that oddity with descriptions of Nixon becoming “looped on martinis.” It suggests that the boundary between personal indulgence and public spectacle had grown hazy in his final days in office.
His favorite snack was cottage cheese with ketchup, and he had yogurt flown in daily
In Inside the White House: The Craziest Presidential Requests for the White House Kitchen, Shondaland recounts a famously odd food habit of Richard Nixon: he had a fondness for cottage cheese paired with ketchup.
On the eve of his inauguration, Nixon supposedly asked for a “simple bowl of cottage cheese,” prompting White House staff to hunt for the ingredient. Once they secured the curds, he reportedly insisted on topping them with ketchup, and sometimes adding canned pineapple or rye crackers to the mix.
He hated golf but liked bowling as more “time efficient”
Most politicians embrace golf, but Nixon called it “a game for lazy bastards.” He preferred bowling because it was faster and more practical.
Nixon told Sports Illustrated his best bowling score was 232, confirmed by White House recreational logs. His White House bowling alley got plenty of use because he genuinely enjoyed the sport more than chasing a little white ball around a course.
Key takeaway
These facts paint a picture of a president unlike any other. Nixon wasn’t just politically controversial. He was personally weird in ways that make you wonder how he functioned in normal social situations.
Nixon marched to his own drummer, whether he was eating dog biscuits or installing bowling alleys. Maybe that’s what made him effective as a politician, or maybe it’s what ultimately led to his downfall. Either way, he was definitely more interesting than your average president. And way weirder than most people realize.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
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