After resigning from the presidency in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal, Nixon returned to California with his wife Pat and moved into their home in San Clemente. In September of that year, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all crimes associated with the Watergate scandal. Nixon was a broken man with little idea of what to do next and how to pick up his life. He soon suffered a physical setback as well, undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot that had formed in his leg. Although the surgery was successful, Nixon went into shock because of internal bleeding and had to undergo another operation. He spent considerable time in the hospital before returning home for a long convalescence. As 1974 came to an end, Nixon hit one of the lowest points of his life.

After some time, Nixon began to tentatively reenter the public eye. He traveled to China in 1976 and was warmly received by his Chinese hosts. He made his first public speech in 1978 in a small town in Kentucky before a friendly audience, and he mostly concentrated his first post-presidential appearances on small gatherings of supporters. Nixon then gained praise as an elder statesman and wrote numerous books on foreign policy. Nixon died from complications of a stroke on April 22, 1994, and his funeral drew luminaries from around the globe, including every living President.