Richard Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California, to a poor family. He grew up in California, helping out his father, Francis “Frank” Anthony Nixon, at the family's grocery store. Nixon's mother, Hannah Mil-hous Nixon, was a devout Quaker and Nixon was raised in the religion. He had two brothers die of tuberculosis, which seriously affected him.

Richard Nixon loved sports — both watching and playing them. While president he supported the Washington Redskins and even gave the team a pep talk after they lost a game. During the 1971 playoff game, Redskins coach George Allen told his team that they were running a play designed by Richard Nixon in an effort to motivate them, even though Nixon did not actually design the play.

Nixon attended local public schools. He was valedictorian of his high school class in 1930. He then went to Whittier College from 1930 to 1934 and graduated with a history degree. He enrolled at Duke University Law School and graduated in 1937. He was admitted to the California bar that year.