Spiro Agnew

Spiro Agnew
Born	Spiro Theodore Agnew November 9, 1918
Birthplace	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died	September 17, 1996 Berlin, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Known for	39th Vice President of the United States; resignation from office in 1973
Education	University of Baltimore (LLB)
Spouse(s)	Elinor Isabel Judefind (m. 1942)
Children	4
Awards	Bronze Star

Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969 until his resignation on October 10, 1973. A member of the Republican Party, Agnew rose through Maryland politics as the 3rd Executive of Baltimore County from 1962 to 1966 and the 55th Governor of Maryland from 1967 to 1969 before being selected as Richard Nixon's running mate in the 1968 presidential election. As vice president, Agnew became known for his combative rhetorical style and sharp attacks on the news media and political opponents, a role that made him a polarizing but influential figure in American political culture. His vice presidency ended in disgrace when a Justice Department investigation uncovered evidence that he had accepted kickbacks from contractors during his time as Baltimore county executive and governor, payments that continued even after he entered the vice presidency. Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office, becoming the second vice president in American history to resign, after John C. Calhoun in 1832. He spent the remainder of his life largely out of the public eye, dying at his home in Berlin, Maryland, in 1996 at the age of 77.

Early Life

Spiro Theodore Agnew was born on November 9, 1918, in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Theophrastos Anagnostopoulos, was a Greek immigrant who had shortened the family name to "Agnew" after arriving in the United States. His mother was an American of English descent. The elder Agnew operated a restaurant in Baltimore, and the family was part of the city's growing Greek-American community. Spiro grew up in Baltimore and attended local schools.

Agnew initially enrolled at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied chemistry, but he did not complete his degree there. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. Agnew served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1945, seeing combat in the European theater. He served as an officer with the 10th Armored Division, commanding Service Company of the 54th Armored Infantry Battalion. For his service, Agnew was awarded the Bronze Star and attained the rank of captain.

After the war, Agnew returned to Maryland and married Elinor Isabel Judefind in 1942. The couple would have four children together.

Education

Agnew attended Johns Hopkins University before the war but did not graduate from that institution. After returning from military service, he enrolled at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he completed his legal studies and earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. His law degree provided the foundation for his entry into both legal practice and Maryland politics.

Career

Early Political Career in Baltimore County

Agnew's entry into politics came through the Republican Party in Baltimore County during the 1950s. He served as a campaign aide for U.S. Representative James Devereux, gaining experience in political organization and Republican Party operations in Maryland. In 1957, Agnew was appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Zoning Appeals, his first official government position. This appointment gave him visibility within county politics and established his credentials as a public servant.

In 1962, Agnew ran for and was elected as the Executive of Baltimore County, succeeding Christian H. Kahl. As county executive, Agnew built a reputation as a moderate Republican, focusing on suburban governance issues. He served in this capacity from December 6, 1962, to December 8, 1966, and was succeeded by Dale Anderson. It was during his tenure as county executive that, according to later federal investigations, Agnew first began accepting kickbacks from contractors seeking government business—a practice that would ultimately end his political career.

Governor of Maryland

In 1966, Agnew entered the race for Governor of Maryland. The election was shaped by the racial politics of the era. His Democratic opponent, George P. Mahoney, ran on a segregationist platform with the slogan "Your Home Is Your Castle," opposing open housing legislation. Independent candidate Hyman A. Pressman also entered the race. Agnew positioned himself as the moderate alternative, and his candidacy attracted support from African Americans, liberal Democrats, and moderate Republicans who found Mahoney's platform objectionable. Agnew won the general election and was inaugurated as the 55th Governor of Maryland on January 25, 1967, succeeding J. Millard Tawes.

As governor, Agnew initially pursued a moderately progressive agenda. He signed into law some of the state's first civil rights legislation, including open housing measures and an income tax reform. However, in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, civil unrest erupted in Baltimore and other Maryland cities. Agnew's response to the unrest marked a turning point in his political positioning. He summoned Black leaders to a meeting and delivered a confrontational speech criticizing them for failing to control the situation and for not repudiating militant elements. The speech was widely covered and drew national attention, alienating many of the moderate and liberal supporters who had helped elect him but winning praise from conservatives nationwide.

Agnew's law-and-order stance in the wake of the 1968 civil unrest attracted the attention of Richard Nixon's presidential campaign. Nixon aides, including Pat Buchanan, were impressed by Agnew's willingness to confront what they characterized as radicalism, while Nixon himself was interested in Agnew's centrist reputation, which he believed could help the ticket appeal to a broad coalition of voters.

1968 Presidential Campaign

At the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Nixon asked Agnew to place his name in nomination for the presidency. Nixon subsequently selected Agnew as his vice-presidential running mate. The choice surprised many political observers, as Agnew was relatively unknown on the national stage. Nixon's calculation was that Agnew could appeal to both moderates and the growing conservative movement within the party, while also attracting voters in the border states and the South who might otherwise support third-party candidate George Wallace.

During the 1968 campaign, Agnew made a number of gaffes that drew media attention and criticism. He used ethnic slurs in informal settings and made remarks that were considered insensitive. However, his combative rhetoric also pleased many Republican voters and party activists. Political analysts have suggested that Agnew's presence on the ticket may have made the difference in several key states in the general election.

Nixon and Agnew defeated the Democratic ticket of incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey and his running mate, Senator Edmund Muskie, as well as the American Independent Party ticket of George Wallace and Curtis LeMay, in the November 1968 general election.

Vice Presidency

Agnew took office as the 39th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 1969. In the Nixon White House, he was frequently assigned the role of attacking the administration's political opponents and critics. This combative function became the defining characteristic of his vice presidency.

Attacks on the Media

Agnew's most notable public role as vice president was his sustained assault on the American news media. On November 13, 1969, in a speech delivered in Des Moines, Iowa, Agnew attacked the television networks for what he characterized as biased coverage of the Nixon administration. He accused network news commentators of wielding disproportionate power and described them as a "small and unelected elite" with the ability to shape public opinion. The speech, largely written by Nixon speechwriter Pat Buchanan and aide William Safire, introduced phrases that became part of the American political lexicon, including his description of the media as "nattering nabobs of negativism."

The media attacks resonated with a large segment of the American public that was skeptical of the press, and they established a template for conservative critiques of media bias that persisted for decades. Scholars and commentators have drawn direct lines from Agnew's anti-media rhetoric to subsequent Republican political strategies targeting the press.

Shift to the Right

Over the course of his vice presidency, Agnew moved increasingly to the political right. He became a favorite of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, appealing to voters who were suspicious of what they perceived as moderate stances taken by Nixon on issues such as relations with China and détente with the Soviet Union. Agnew's speeches regularly attacked antiwar protesters, intellectuals, and the counterculture movement, using alliterative phrases crafted by his speechwriters that attracted widespread attention.

1972 Reelection

In the 1972 presidential election, Nixon retained Agnew on the ticket despite some internal discussion about replacing him. The Nixon-Agnew ticket won reelection in one of the largest landslide victories in American presidential history, defeating the Democratic ticket of Senator George McGovern and his running mate Sargent Shriver.

Criminal Investigation and Resignation

In 1973, the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland launched an investigation into Agnew's financial dealings. The investigation uncovered evidence that Agnew had engaged in a pattern of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud. Specifically, investigators found that Agnew had accepted kickbacks from contractors who sought government contracts during his time as Baltimore county executive and as governor of Maryland. The evidence indicated that these payments had continued even after Agnew became vice president, with contractors delivering cash payments to Agnew in his office in the White House complex.

The investigation was entirely separate from the Watergate scandal that was simultaneously engulfing the Nixon presidency. Agnew was not implicated in Watergate.

For months, Agnew publicly maintained his innocence and fought the charges vigorously. He argued that the investigation was politically motivated and attempted to claim that a sitting vice president could not be indicted. He appealed to Republican supporters and made public statements declaring he would not resign.

However, faced with the weight of evidence against him, Agnew ultimately entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. On October 10, 1973, Agnew appeared in federal court in Baltimore, where he pleaded no contest (nolo contendere) to a single felony charge of federal income tax evasion. As part of the agreement, he simultaneously submitted his letter of resignation from the vice presidency to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation and fined $10,000.

Following Agnew's resignation, Nixon nominated House Republican leader Gerald Ford to fill the vacancy under the provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Ford was confirmed by both houses of Congress and sworn in as the 40th Vice President on December 6, 1973.

On May 2, 1974, the Maryland Court of Appeals ordered the disbarment of Agnew, stripping him of his license to practice law in the state.

Post-Vice Presidency

After his resignation, Agnew largely withdrew from public life. He entered the private sector, working as an international trade consultant. He maintained business relationships in the Middle East, including contacts with officials in several Arab countries.

Agnew authored two books during his post-political career. In 1976, he published The Canfield Decision, a political thriller novel. The book attracted controversy for its portrayal of Israeli and Zionist influence in American politics. In reviews and interviews surrounding the book's publication, Agnew made statements criticizing what he described as Zionist influence in the United States. President Gerald Ford publicly criticized Agnew's comments, saying he was "wrong" about Jews and their influence. Agnew responded by asserting that he was not a bigot and defended his right to criticize Israeli policies.

Agnew later published a memoir, Go Quietly... or Else, in which he defended his actions and offered his account of the events leading to his resignation. In both his novel and memoir, Agnew blamed Zionists for orchestrating his removal from office, a claim that was not supported by the factual record of the investigation.

Personal Life

Agnew married Elinor Isabel Judefind, known as "Judy," in 1942. The couple had four children together and remained married until Agnew's death. Judy Agnew died on June 26, 2012, at the age of 91.

During the latter part of his life, Agnew lived quietly in the community of Rancho Mirage, California, and later in Ocean City and Berlin, Maryland. He rarely made public appearances and largely avoided the media spotlight that had defined his vice presidency. He maintained a small circle of friends and business associates but did not seek to return to public office or political prominence.

Agnew died on September 17, 1996, at his home in Berlin, Maryland, at the age of 77. The cause of death was undiagnosed acute leukemia, a condition that had not been previously detected. He was buried at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium, Maryland.

Recognition

Agnew's legacy is primarily defined by the circumstances of his resignation and by his role as an aggressive rhetorical attack figure in the Nixon administration. He received the Bronze Star for his military service during World War II.

In the decades following his resignation, Agnew received little in the way of public honors. His disbarment by the Maryland Court of Appeals in 1974 underscored the legal consequences of his conduct. He was not invited to participate in major Republican Party events in the years following his departure from office, and he was not rehabilitated in the manner that some disgraced political figures have been.

In the realm of media and popular culture, Agnew has been the subject of renewed interest in the 21st century. In 2025, actor and director Ben Stiller visited Baltimore's circuit courthouse in preparation for a film project related to Agnew's story, indicating continued cultural fascination with his rise and fall.

Legacy

Agnew's place in American political history is shaped by several distinct factors: his role as a rhetorical combatant in the Nixon administration, the criminal conduct that ended his career, and the broader implications of his anti-media rhetoric for subsequent American politics.

Scholars have noted that Agnew's attacks on the news media in 1969 and the early 1970s established a framework for conservative media criticism that persisted for decades. His speeches characterizing the press as elitist and biased anticipated strategies employed by later Republican politicians and conservative commentators. Political analysts have drawn connections between Agnew's approach and subsequent Republican campaigns against media institutions.

The circumstances of Agnew's resignation also carry historical significance. His departure from the vice presidency under the Twenty-fifth Amendment set in motion the chain of succession that brought Gerald Ford to the vice presidency and, following Nixon's own resignation in August 1974, to the presidency. Agnew's resignation thus had profound consequences for the trajectory of American governance during one of its most turbulent periods.

Historians have also examined Agnew's career as an illustration of the transformation of the Republican Party during the late 1960s and early 1970s. His shift from a moderate Maryland politician who won election with Black support to a conservative firebrand who attacked civil rights leaders and antiwar protesters reflected broader realignments within American politics during that era.

Agnew's acceptance of bribes and kickbacks, continuing even during his service as vice president, remains one of the more remarkable instances of corruption in the history of the American executive branch. That his criminal conduct was entirely separate from the Watergate scandal—yet overlapped with it chronologically—underscores the extent of ethical failures within the Nixon administration.