Hannah Milhous Nixon

Hannah Elizabeth Milhous Nixon (née Milhous) was born on March 7, 1885, near Butlerville, Indiana. She was the daughter of Almira Park (née Burdg), who was born in 1849 and died in 1943, from Columbiana County, Ohio, and Franklin Milhous, born in 1848 in Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio.

Hannah Milhous married Francis A. Nixon, with whom she had five sons. Their children included Richard Milhous Nixon, who became the 37th president of the United States, born on January 9, 1913, and died on April 22, 1994. Their other sons were Francis Donald Nixon (November 23, 1914 – June 27, 1987), Arthur Burdg Nixon (May 26, 1918 – August 10, 1925), Harold Samuel Nixon (June 1, 1909 – March 7, 1933), and Edward Calvert Nixon (May 3, 1930 – February 27, 2019). Harold Samuel Nixon died in childhood, and Arthur Burdg Nixon also died young.

Hannah Nixon's influence on her son Richard Nixon was significant. He often expressed admiration for his mother, including in his farewell speech to the White House staff. She was described by Richard Nixon as a "Quaker saint." Evidence of her role in his life includes her connection to political controversies; notably, during Richard Nixon’s 1960 presidential campaign, columnist Drew Pearson accused Nixon of having a conflict of interest due to a loan allegedly received from Howard Hughes’s Hughes Tool Company in December 1956, though the loan was later attributed to a friend of Nixon’s, Frank J. Waters. Pearson characterized the problem as an effort by Hughes to improve his reputation. Richard Nixon did not comment on the accusation, but his mother’s influence remained a point of reference throughout his life.

In 1970, during a visit to the Lincoln Memorial, Richard Nixon visited the United States Capitol and spoke with Manolo Sanchez, his valet, and some women present. During the event, Nixon signed a Bible for one woman and remarked that his mother "was a saint." In his final White House address on August 9, 1974, Nixon stated that his mother “was a saint” and reflected on her sacrifices, including nursing her children through illness and loss.

Hannah Nixon was portrayed by Mary Steenburgen in Oliver Stone's 1995 film *Nixon*. Her maiden name, Milhous, and her son Richard's middle name were used by cartoonist Matt Groening for the character Milhouse Van Houten in the television series *The Simpsons*, reportedly because Groening considered the name to be notably "unfortunate."

Hannah Elizabeth Milhous Nixon died on September 30, 1967.