Yorba Linda : Bill Would Make Nixon Birthplace Historic Site

To preserve the “modest remembrances of the roots of our President,” Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) introduced a bill Thursday to make Richard Nixon’s birthplace in Yorba Linda a historic site.

The small wood-frame house where Nixon was born Jan. 9, 1913, will be an inspiration to youngsters, Dannemeyer said Thursday from his Washington office.

“Certainly the birthplace of Richard Nixon demonstrates his middle-class upbringing, middle-class roots in our society and should speak clearly to any youngster coming along that the highest office in our land is open to anyone,” Dannemeyer said.

The bill to name the house that Nixon’s father built a national historic site will be moved along simultaneously with similar bills to do the same with homes of former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, the congressman said.

While a bill for a Ford site has not yet been introduced, a bill by Rep. Richard Ray (D-Ga.) proposing a Carter site in Plains, Ga., hit some snags last June. The proposal may have been too broad, as it named seven pieces of property as historic, an aide to Ray said earlier this year.

The legislation marking the Yorba Linda home as historic was co-sponsored by 15 Democrats and 15 Republicans from California’s 45-member delegation, Dannemeyer said. Last September, the proposal received the unanimous approval of the Yorba Linda City Council and in October, the National Park Service proposed restoring the birthplace.

Dannemeyer said there was local and national support for the proposal, despite the former President’s resignation during the Watergate scandal. “Let’s face it, his presidency was brought to an end that was different from (those of) other presidents. Nobody can deny that.”

The Yorba Linda School District maintains the home at 1806 Yorba Linda Blvd., where Nixon lived until he was 9. The Nixon Birthplace Foundation, a nonprofit corporation formed when Nixon first was elected President, has in storage items such as his old bed and other furniture that could be returned to the home once they are restored.